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.
Sharon Feinstein takes her mother to Cape Town, where they stay in luxury, dine on delicious food and enjoy spectacular views I awoke to the call of the giant African Hadedas, as big as geese. My luxurious bedroom was bathed in that special honeyed Cape Town light, with views stretching across the lush gardens, against … Continued
Leatherback slaughtered in July 2009 as she came up to nest, the horror has been captured by a British tourist, who wept when he found her remains On dark, isolated beaches, away from the hotels and tourists on the sunny Caribbean island of Tobago, leatherback turtles are being brutally slaughtered. Their flippers are chopped off … Continued
As Oscar Pistorius enters the dock again today over the killing of Reeva Steenkamp, another man could play a pivotal role in the murder trial. Businessman Warren Lahoud dated Reeva for nearly five years and had met up with his ex for coffee and a chat just two days before she died. For him, 29-year-old … Continued
Before she was famous, hard-up Adele used to like rummaging for clothes at street markets… and comfy underwear. Now she’s the world’s sixth richest star under 30 with a £30million fortune but she shuns designer outfits for a good rummage at car boot sales. Before she was famous, hard-up Adele used to like rummaging for … Continued
As prison nightmare ends for doctor accused of killing patient in UAE, his family describes his ‘shocking’ ordeal An eminent doctor held in the notorious Al Wathba prison in the UAE desert could finally be home within hours after a horrific nine-month ordeal. Paediatric oncologist Cyril Karabus, 77,was snatched at the airport and dragged away … Continued
I have closed down the Leatherback Turtle campaign as the distance from Tobago was becoming prohibitive and we were unable to monitor the situation and energise the help we were receiving there. I believe we did some good by raising awareness and contributing a computer to a turtle watcher in Tobago and other funds … Continued
It was a composed and polished Amanda Knox who last week appeared on prime time American television to publicise her long-awaited book. Gone was the wide-eyed exchange student who was first convicted then acquitted of murdering British student Meredith Kercher, replaced instead by a thoughtful young woman with a compelling story to tell of her … Continued
Her urban art has seen her dubbed “the female Banksy” and attracted legions of celebrity fans. And just like her male counterpart, street artist Bambi is retaining her anonymity, despite commissions from Rihanna, Kate Moss and David Beckham. She also has good reason — Bambi is an international pop star who has sold millions of … Continued
