An haifi Winterson a Manchester kuma Constance da John William Winterson sun karbe ta a ranar 21 ga Janairu 1960. Ta girma a Accrington, Lancashire, kuma an tashe ta a cikin Ikilisiyar Pentecostal ta Elim. An tashe ta don zama mai wa'azin Pentecostal Kirista, kuma ta fara yin bishara da rubuta wa'azin a shekara shida.A lokacin da ta kai shekara 16, Winterson ta fito a matsayin 'yan madigo kuma ta bar gida.
Kwalejin St Catherine, Oxford