When Isa Guha made her England cricket debut aged 17, she had no idea she was also making history. “It never crossed my mind,” says the celebrated pace bowler of becoming the first British Asian woman to represent her country in any sport. “It’s only later I actually discovered why it was a big deal.Continue reading “Isa Guha: “I feel a responsibility to the game that’s given so much to me.””
Tag Archives: Interviews
Lily Cole: “It’s very hard to have ideals and fully live up to them. But that doesn’t mean ideals aren’t important.”
In 2010, Lily Cole received two invitations in the space of a week. One was to take part in a fashion show – the sort of high-profile catwalk parade that had helped make the then 22-year-old one of the most famous models in the world, with a multi-million pound fortune to match. The other wasContinue reading “Lily Cole: “It’s very hard to have ideals and fully live up to them. But that doesn’t mean ideals aren’t important.””
Don Black: “Did I ever write a song for my wife? Yes, all of them.”
A week after Don Black was admitted to hospital with Covid-19, a nurse happened to notice his hands. “She said, ‘they’re very soft – what do you do?’” the 82-year-old tells Weekend. “I said, ‘I write songs – Google me’. And I thought that was it. Anyway, when the day came for me to leave, theyContinue reading “Don Black: “Did I ever write a song for my wife? Yes, all of them.””
Nitin Sawhney: “You’re constantly confronting demons from your past.”
Spend half an hour in the company of Nitin Sawhney and you’ll quickly see why the word that crops up time and again in profiles of him is ‘polymath’. Over the course of a wide-ranging conversation with Weekend, the composer and multi-instrumentalist bounces from discussions of race and identity to a technical deconstruction of Western classicalContinue reading “Nitin Sawhney: “You’re constantly confronting demons from your past.””
Norah Jones: “There could be a million nice things that people say, but the one negative is the one you remember.”
Promoting her last album in the summer of 2016, Norah Jones voiced her worry that “the world’s kind of falling apart right now”. And now here she is, four years on, releasing its follow-up against the backdrop of a global pandemic, race riots and an America more bitterly divided than ever. “Boy, if I couldContinue reading “Norah Jones: “There could be a million nice things that people say, but the one negative is the one you remember.””
Joe Wicks: “My childhood was chaotic. Doors getting slammed, shouting, food thrown about… It was manic, so I’m the opposite.”
“It’s all been a bit unexpected, really,” says Joe Wicks, reflecting on his recent elevation from successful fitness guru to – let’s not be coy – fully-fledged national hero. “I was really excited about sharing my workouts online, and doing what I could,” adds the man whose daily P.E. With Joe exercise classes have become a centralContinue reading “Joe Wicks: “My childhood was chaotic. Doors getting slammed, shouting, food thrown about… It was manic, so I’m the opposite.””
Rob Delaney: “I don’t fight to win. I fight because there’s a fire inside of me.”
As a comedian, Rob Delaney has a favourite punchline. He’s called Rob Delaney. ‘There are some comedians who want to be cool,’ the 43-year-old tells Weekend over breakfast in London. ‘I’m not among them. I’ve got no interest in seeing a stand-up who’s like, “Hey, let’s celebrate how organised I am, or how well IContinue reading “Rob Delaney: “I don’t fight to win. I fight because there’s a fire inside of me.””
David Soul: “I got so tired of hearing myself described as a hunk. I never traded on that.”
At the kitchen table of his London flat, David Soul is re-enacting the 1974 auditions for Starksy & Hutch. Except he’s not playing Hutch – the blonde, blue-eyed California detective who made him one of the biggest TV stars in the world. He’s playing Starsky – or, technically, Starsky actor Paul Michael Glaser. ‘This guyContinue reading “David Soul: “I got so tired of hearing myself described as a hunk. I never traded on that.””
Lenny Henry: “Work is easy, life is hard. There are rungs in work. In life, you’re free-falling.”
Who is Lenny Henry? To a modern audience, he’s Sir Lenworth Henry CBE, BA (Hons), MA, PhD – comedian, actor, writer, campaigner, academic, knight of the realm and national treasure. Much of which might have come as a surprise to TV viewers in the 1970s, who first encountered him as a cheeky 16-year-old, trussed upContinue reading “Lenny Henry: “Work is easy, life is hard. There are rungs in work. In life, you’re free-falling.””
Richard E Grant: “I’ve outlived my father by 10 years, so every year is a bonus.”
Shortly after turning 40, Richard E Grant received some sobering advice from the former Hollywood child star Roddy McDowall. ‘He said, “Your roles are going to get smaller, whatever recognition you have will diminish, and the money you have in the bank will decrease,”’ recalls Grant. ‘That made an indelible impression on me.’ Indeed, byContinue reading “Richard E Grant: “I’ve outlived my father by 10 years, so every year is a bonus.””
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