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.
These are the never-before-seen pictures that tragic model Reeva Steenkamp considered to be her “future”. Taken from her most recent portfolio, the images had been approved just days before she was shot dead by athlete boyfriend Oscar Pistorius. The photos should have appeared on billboards and other adverts around the world. Instead, Reeva — who … Continued
Thailand’s Six Senses resort, nestled away on the remote island of Koh Yao Noi, is a favourite destination for would-be grooms eager to propose in a paradise setting. Pulse’s intrepid globe-trotter Sharon Feinstein heads to this far-flung jewel, to savour exotic boat trips and sunset barbeques on remote beaches hey arrive, faces etched with stress, … Continued
Sharon Feinstein meets legendary Hollywood tattooist Freddy Negrete, and hears about his troubled past and celebrity clients Celebrity tattooist Freddy Negrete has seen his designs sported on many a famous body in his home city of Los Angeles, from One Direction’s Harry Styles to The Saturdays’ Frankie Sandford – but his life wasn’t always so … Continued
Yvette Fielding, the former presenter of Living TV’s Most Haunted, has become pretty used to mysterious disappearances, but none has caused her more heartache than the day 1D star Harry Styles ‘dumped’ her son Will and walked out of their lives. Harry and Will Fielding, both now 19, were inseparable in their teenage years. They … Continued
Adele may be worth millions – but she would rather be sat at home eating spaghetti hoops than guzzling Champagne at fancy parties. The south London singing sensation is determined to remain down to earth, despite having won 106 awards, nine Grammys, a Golden Globe and now an Oscar. Last week the 24-year-old new mum … Continued
I had no idea who they were either until I went to Tobago, and now I can never forget them. On an empty, moonlit beach I was stunned to see an enormous black shape emerge from the crashing waves, and slowly drag her 540 kilo bulk up the sand to lay her eggs. This is … Continued
The former England superstar will avoid frogs’ legs and garlic during his spell with Paris St Germain. Becks, 37, had the East End nosh flown out to him when he lived in Spain, playing for Real Madrid. And friends reckon he will do the same when he starts playing in France. Pal and pie maker … Continued
Lara and I arrived in a state of typical mother, daughter edgy tension. But the moment we turned into Chewton Glen’s sweeping drive, past the rolling lawns and glistening lake, a sense of calm descended on us. The hotel, on the edge of the New Forest, just a short walk to the beach, blends seamlessly … Continued
