The TV presenter talks about her childhood in Edinburgh, her relationship with her parents and brother, and her mother's death
My dad was a construction worker and my mother did the accounts, and we lived in a two-bed house in a cul-de-sac in Edinburgh. My dad eventually built an extension so that my brother Keith and I no longer had to share a room ? but I missed the fun we had leaping off the bunk bed. Keith still lives in the house; he moved back there after my mum died two years ago. I love going back and finding the neighbours still living in the same houses, but in my youth I found it boring and was desperate to get away.
My mother and I were very close and even when I left home and came to London I would ring her every day. She was very proud of me and loved my celebrity. She would often come to shoots and TV shows with me. She was quite a character and had lots of friends, all of whom packed the church at her funeral. She loved gruesome crime books and was delighted when I got a job as a runner on Taggart. While other people's mums were watching The Sound of Music, my mum was acting out Reservoir Dogs. She wasn't afraid to be herself and this has certainly rubbed off on me.
My parents' marriage was very rocky. They were always arguing. When they split up when I was in my 20s, my brother and I were both delighted because we knew they weren't good for each other. My mother went on to have a happier relationship with a new partner.
I've had well-documented problems with alopecia and recently my hair started to fall out again. I embraced my baldness when it first happened, but Mum didn't like it and when her hair started to fall out due to chemotherapy treatment for lung cancer she wore wigs. But she used to send me all sorts of funny hats, like pink ones with ears on them.
My mum brought me up to think that personal happiness is more important than your family. When I was splitting up with my husband [Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave] she supported me and didn't try to get me to stay.
I've got much closer to my brother since Mum's death. When she was very ill near the end, she suddenly got this idea that she wanted to cook lamb shank in a slow cooker and was clanking around with her oxygen tank trying to find a recipe. So Keith and I thought we'd better try to find a recipe and cook it for her. Somehow we managed it, but by the time it was ready, she had drifted back into unconsciousness and forgot all about it. The funeral was much more bearable because Keith held my hand all through the service.
Humour was a big part of our family ? my dad loved telling stories, even though they often weren't as funny as he thought they were ? Last year, I even tried a bit of standup myself. However, just as I stood up, my dad suddenly appeared with lots of our extended family, including cousins I hadn't seen for years. I was mortified because much of my routine included jokes about my mother's funeral, which I suddenly had to cut. It must have still gone OK though because afterwards my Dad came up to me and said, "I think you did rather well, young Porter" ? which made me feel a bit like a boy scout! He has always been my harshest critic ? not able to say a good thing without adding in a negative ? so I was pleased. I guess I still want his approval even when I'm 40!
Gail Porter is launching the Swimathon in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care and The Swimathon Foundation on 8 April. For information, visit swimathon.org
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/05/gail-porter-my-family-values
Extradition David Beckham Spending review 2010 Hotels Family finances Lisa Allardice
No comments:
Post a Comment