Why write a biography? It only pins you down. Suffice to say I was born in Africa. And already that’s seeing the world without its skin. My father was the local gynaecologist. My mother was born in Strasbourg. My grandmother lived with us. In many ways I loved my childhood but not in others. I would have been cheating myself if I hadn’t left to study English literature in Britain. Before that I was lucky enough to live in Paris on the threshold of womanhood, in the spring, on my own, and of course that stays with you forever. We ate well and cheaply and I learnt to love wine and got engaged. At Edinburgh I got a First class MA Honours and the Janet Christie Bequest to study abroad. So we drove to Florence and lived in an old farmhouse for 8 months, learning Italian, studying at the British Institute.
In the slipstream of your life you imagine you’ll be a great writer, another Virginia Woolf, have the perfect family, be the best mother. So many impossible aims. I ended up being a journalist. A mother to one daughter. A lover. As a journalist I did quite a lot of good in the beginning. Campaigning stories, saving a horribly mistreated lioness in Italy, seals in the Hebrides, premature babies at Dulwich hospital in need of incubators, endangered leatherback turtles in Tobago. I have done a lot of travel articles, restaurant and hotel reviews, and many years of exciting seat-of-the pants Showbiz stories, travelling with Freddie Mercury, Rod Steward, Spandau Ballet, interviewing Angelina Jolie, Leonardo di Caprio, Bono, Jude Law. Now I’m writing a novel set in Venice and its working title is Behind the Mirror. With a novel, which takes years to write, you’re not the same person at the end of the book as you were at the beginning. The story has changed, the characters are deeper, but you have changed with them. You fall in love with all of them. I’m nearly ready to say goodbye to them and let them stand on their own.
Curvy Kim Kardashian has replaced petite Posh as having the body most women desire. So says Hollywood personal trainer Gunnar Peterson, who has helped the voluptuous star since she was 19. He says girls now want Kim’s bootylicious body far more than Victoria Beckham’s boyish frame. A raft of A-listers and athletes work out … Continued
The acquittal of William Roache raises the question: should events that took place decades ago be judged by the standards we uphold today? ‘He’s 81 but he’s still gotit,it’s incredible,” said James Roache of his father, who was acquitted last week of sex crimes dating backnearlyhalf a century. “My dad’s like a pin-up and his … Continued
mirror.co.uk A prison priest has compared convicted killer Amanda Knox to Nelson Mandela because she is free in “heart and conscience”. Don Saulo, the chaplain of Capanne prison where Knox spent four years, made the bizarre statement in defence of the American. He insisted she was “terrified” of being forced to return to Italy to … Continued
The millionaire owner of Alton Towers is creating his own horticultural theme park — a rooftop garden on his penthouse apartment overlooking London Zoo. While Nick Leslau’s new garden, which offers views across the capital and the sounds of the nearby exotic animals, will not include an Alton Towers-style log flume, one plan is to … Continued
The High Speed 2 rail project has a formidable new foe: the Primrose Hill set. Residents in the affluent north London neighbourhood, the spiritual home of metropolitan intellectuals and bohemian celebrities, have reacted angrily after learning that their properties could be seized to make way for the £50bn scheme. Those affected include Mary Portas, the … Continued
Afloat in an unchanging landscape, Sharon Feinstein meets up with some old friends to savour the enduring charms of Crete I am eating fresh fish and lovely tomatoes, basking in the warm breeze with a German Shepherd named Marley curled at my feet. We have sailed here on Yanni’s yacht, the Jaquelina, and stopped for … Continued
Late President’s closest friend and ally accuses his community of neglecting struggle against apartheid Nelson Mandela’s closest friend, who stood trial alongside him and spent 22 years in prison, this week launched a scathing attack on South Africa’s Jewish leaders in the wake of the former President’s funeral. Denis Goldberg, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Mandela … Continued
The litmus test of a good scent is when both men and women say, Mmmn, you smell divine ! That’s what I’ve had since I turned to Jo Malone’s Grapefruit Cologne (100ml £61.00) beautifully bottled and so catchy that people turn round and notice. The entire grapefruit collection brings rays of sunshine and a zesty … Continued
