My mother is a writer, too… She achieved her first publishing deal at 60! She writes beautiful love stories about romance in the over fifties. ‘Fifty Shades of Grey Hair!’ was how The Daily Mail headed an article about her debut hit ‘Thursdays In The Park’. In actual fact, the book has only one kiss in it!
Clare Boyd
I worked on EastEnders as a script editor… On my lunchbreaks, I would see a lot of strange things, like men with axes in their heads chatting on their mobiles or pregnant women in hospital gowns smoking fags. Holby City was shot in the same studios!
For a year, at 19, I lived in the Chelsea Hotel in New York, which is steeped in rock and roll history and famous for its bohemian guests. It was where Nancy Spungen - of Sid (Viscious, of the Sex Pistols) and Nancy lived, and it was where she was found stabbed to death in 1978. Our room – a few floors down - had white plastic sofas and we would see Grace Jones, who lived there, in the lift. In recent years, the hotel has been spruced up and costs a fortune and has probably lost its seedy charm.
I love hiking… My husband and I spend a lot of time in the mountains in the summer. We spent our honeymoon in the Highlands, where we walked up a couple of the Munros. Weirdly, I’m scared of heights! I’m not sure whether it is a hobby or a self-flagellation.
I was brought up as a Londoner… We moved out to the country a few years back, when my two girls were babies, and I get very frustrated by the long drive to a good cinema. When I lived in London, I would sometimes go to the cinema twice a week. The films aside, I enjoy eating too much popcorn and too many sweets in the dark.
My husband is a supermodel… Not that you’d be able to tell if you met him. His personal profile is very low-key and when he meets new people he lies about what he does for a living. We met at the same modelling agency when I was sixteen.
I was the worst model known to woman… I hate being photographed and I love routine. Both of which are troublesome for an aspiring model! I was known for having my head in a book on shoots and being very grumpy. I gave up at 22 years old, which was considered quite old in modelling years. I get very upset when I see young teenage girls sexualised in advertising campaigns, especially when they are underweight.
My great grandfather was Minister for Food in World War II. My grandmother would tell us heart-breaking stories of how devastated he would be when the ships carrying food were bombed. The rations pie Woolton Pie was named after him. I’m not sure how tasty it is!
I have probably watched every single trashy American rom com ever made! It is my go-to comfort viewing. When I broke my leg last year, I was trapped in bed for months and I watched Bridesmaids on a loop.
I have a mood board above my computer in my writing shed... I collect postcards from the photography and art exhibitions I’ve seen. They can inspire my writing. One of my favourites is a William Klein photograph of a young woman laughing. It always makes me smile. And the other favourite is a Daido Moriyama photograph of the back of naked woman smoking. It sets the mood for some of my darker chapters.
