I GREW UP IN QUITE A RURAL PART OF HAMPSHIRE but became so influenced by music, drama and entertainment. I was a proper child of the late Seventies and Eighties— ABBA, Showaddywaddy and, a bit later, Madonna. Essentially, if it was in the charts, it was playing in the house. On top of that I also loved opera and musicals—The Sound of Music was a firm favourite. Overall though, if I had to pick one artist from my childhood it would be Barry Manilow! A few years ago I got to interview him when I covered for Holly Willoughby on This Morning and, well, he’s iconic for me. I think at first he thought I was taking the mickey out of him but then he quickly realised that I’m actually a bit of a stalker-fan!
WE NEVER MINDED THE FACT WE DIDN’T HAVE MUCH when we were growing up because we didn’t really compare what we had to others. I think these days, with the internet, especially, there is such a disconnect between those who have a lot and those who don’t. It wasn’t like that when I was young—you focused on your own little circle and you all had the same bikes, beauty sets, toys. Those who had lots of stuff were usually just the kids you saw on the telly, and almost always in the US. Britain was a place where everyone seemed to have the same sort of upbringing. I don’t think that’s totally untrue today, despite what people say.
MY DAD LEFT WHEN WE WERE YOUNG but I never felt as though we suffered. I would hear my mum crying at night, but that was the only glimpse she ever gave that something was wrong. In every other way we got on with it, we never felt affected, and life was “normal”.
Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.
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Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME
Do you want to save 1.5 seconds every day of your life? According to the dishwasher expert at the consumer organisation Choice, there’s no need to insert the dishwashing tablet into the compartment inside the door.
May Fiction
An escaped slave's perspective renews Huckleberry Finn and the seconds tick down to nuclear Armageddon in Miriam Sallon’s top literary picks this month
Wine Not
In a time of warning studies about alcohol consumption, Paola Westbeek looks at non-alcoholic wines, how they taste and if they pair with food
Train Booking Hacks
With the cost of train travel seemingly always rising, Andy Webb gives some tips to save on ticket prices
JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Here, far from the crowds, in opal clarity, from May to September, the sun knows no rest. As soon as it’s about to set, it rises again
My Britain: Cheltenham
A YEAR IN CHELTENHAM sees a jazz festival, a science festival, a classical music festival and a literature festival. Few towns with 120,000 residents can boast such a huge cultural output!
GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB
Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.
Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant
After working in TV and radio as an author and nutritionist, Suzi Grant started a blog alternativeageing.net) and an Instagram account alternativeageing). She talks to Ian Chaddock about positive ageing”
Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World
Sam Quek MBE is an Olympic gold medalwinning hockey player, team captain on A Question of Sport and host of podcast series Amazing Starts Here
Stand Tall, Ladies
Shorter men may be having their moment, but where are the tall women?
