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Daily Record
26-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Gail Porter: 'I've been at rock bottom, slept on a bench, it's proof we get through'
Presenter Gail Porter shared how she has overcome depression, alopecia and homelessness to find new purpose and joy in life At 54, Gail Porter is reflecting on a life that has taken her from the heights of TV fame to the depths of homelessness and back again. Now, she says, she is finally in a good place. 'I'm 100% happy,' she tells the Mirror. 'I've got my cat. My daughter's doing brilliantly, she's 22 now, finished uni and is working. I'm working, too, mostly charity stuff, and often for free, but I still worry about the next paid job. After being sectioned and homeless, I feel very lucky. I have great friends.' The presenter and mental health advocate has never shied away from speaking about her struggles, including the moment in 2011 when she was sectioned under a 28-day order at a psychiatric unit in North London. 'It was terrifying,' she recalls. 'I was drugged up to my eyeballs, sharing a ward with men convinced they were Jesus, and violent patients. It felt like One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.' In 2014, she hit rock bottom. With nowhere to go, she sofa-surfed for months before sleeping rough on a bench in Hampstead Heath. 'I'd applied for library jobs and charity shop shifts. People said, 'You can't do that, you're Gail Porter!' I just wanted someone to give me a chance. Instead, I ended up on a bench thinking I'd had enough.' It was a concerned boyfriend who contacted the police, fearing for her safety. 'Four officers walked up and said, 'Someone's very concerned for your safety. We're taking you to the hospital.' I kicked off. I was furious, but I was desperate,' she says. Long before those dark days, Porter was a staple of late 90s television, hosting Top of the Pops, The Big Breakfast, and gracing the covers of magazines. But her life began to unravel after she developed alopecia in 2005, losing her hair in clumps. 'Friends said, 'You're beautiful bald,' and for a while, I felt invincible, but work dried up. I got asked to do interviews about being bald, unpaid, because you're talking about an 'illness'. I thought, 'This is going to be a bit s***.'' The alopecia came alongside depression and anorexia. 'I lost everything, my house, my career, my confidence,' she admits. Today, she is in recovery, both financially and emotionally. After being declared bankrupt in 2017, she found stability through her Bafta-winning 2020 documentary Being Gail Porter, and continues to rent a place in North London. She also campaigns for causes close to her heart. 'It's awful out there,' she says. 'I work with Fair For You to help people pay back loans without crippling interest, and with the Samaritans over the winter, because I know that darkness. Everyone's one missed payday from disaster.' Despite past romances, including her marriage to Toploader's Dan Hipgrave and a brief fling with The Prodigy's Keith Flint, she has no interest in dating now. 'I don't date. Now, it's all apps and swipes, I can't be bothered. I go to Soho, meet friends, maybe sneak off to a gig, and that's enough.' She remains firm in her belief in self-acceptance. 'I've had dodgy comments, 'Where's your hair? Why no wig?' Sometimes I reply, 'Why didn't you wear better deodorant?' But 95% of people are kind. I love hugs, I get so many lovely hugs.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Now, she's embracing a new chapter with the launch of her own wig, 'The Gail', part of Amber Jean Rowan's ethical collection. 'People say, 'Gail, you said you'd never wear a wig,' and I went 20 years without one, but now there's a choice. The first time I put on The Gail, my custom wig, I fell in love. It's not about covering anything up, it's self-expression.' With stand-up gigs, cruise ship Q&As, a new memoir in the works, and backing Prince William's Homewards homelessness campaign, Porter's life is full once again. 'I've been at rock bottom, from sleeping on a bench to standing on a cruise stage, it's proof we get through,' she says. 'You don't need therapy if you find your therapy. Mine is a spin class. When I was at my worst, I paid £100 for unlimited classes for two weeks and did two rides a day. My friends say I look so fit and happy. It's my lifeline.' She adds simply: 'I'm not brave. I wake up, put one foot in front of the other, and here I am. That's all anyone can do.'
The Sun
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Iceland relaunches interest-free loans for customers to ease pressure during school holidays
ICELAND boss Richard Walker wants to help families "relax and make memories" this summer and not worry about food bills. The frozen food chain has relaunched its interest-free loan scheme for the fourth year in a row. 1 Shoppers can borrow between £25 to £75 interest free in partnership with responsible lender Fair for You on Iceland 's Food Club cards to online or in-store. Loans are repaid in £10 weekly instalments, and returning customers can borrow up to £100 once their first loan is repaid. Iceland said families will spend over £550million extra on food during the school holidays, with nearly three-quarters of parents facing higher costs because kids eat more at home. Extra snacks and drinks add further strain to budgets. Meanwhile, over a quarter of parents have turned to Buy Now, Pay Later schemes or loans to cover their grocery bills. Many even sell personal items to make ends meet. Mr Walker said: "The summer holidays should be a time for families to relax and make memories, not worry about how they're going to afford their next food shop. But the reality for millions is very different. "Our Food Club will be available this summer, offering real, practical support that helps people stock up their fridges and freezers without falling into debt traps." Applications for the Food Club are open now via Iceland has already given out up to £12.5million in interest-free loans to 31,000 customers. Four methods you can use to clear debt If you do borrow cash, be sure to factor in how you're going to repay it. Iceland has partnered with a dietitian to help families make the most of their £75 Food Club loan. They've created a budget-friendly shopping basket filled with healthy meals and snacks. For £75, a family of four can enjoy 126 balanced portions. For more information and to apply, visit: How to get free debt help There are several groups which can help you with your problem debts for free. Citizens Advice - 0800 144 8848 (England) / 0800 702 2020 (Wales) StepChange - 0800138 1111 National Debtline - 0808 808 4000 Debt Advice Foundation - 0800 043 4050 You can also find information about Debt Management Plans (DMP) and Individual Voluntary Agreements (IVA) by visiting or Speak to one of these organisations - don't be tempted to use a claims management firm. They say they can write off lots of your debt in return for a large upfront fee. But there are other options where you don't need to pay. Meanwhile, inflation hit its highest level in nearly 18 months last month, driven by rising food prices. Rising inflation means prices are going up faster than they were the month before, pushing up grocery and household bills. Consumer Prices Index inflation rose to 3.6% in June, the highest since January 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics. Food prices have risen for the third month in a row, hitting their highest annual rate since February 2024. Inflation for food and non-alcoholic drinks increased to 4.5% in June, up slightly from 4.4% in May. How to save money on your food shop CONSUMER reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year: Odd boxes - plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price. Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30. Sainsbury's also sells £2 "Taste Me, Don't Waste Me" fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash. Food waste apps - food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public. Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio. Too Good to Go's app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount. Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses. Yellow sticker bargains - yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap. But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here. Super cheap bargains - sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they've found on the cheap, including food finds. "Downshift" - you will almost always save money going for a supermarket's own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands. The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as "downshifting" and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
Finextra
21-05-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Retailers back BNPL alternative from charity-owned lender
A group of UK retailers are backing a new BNPL alternative from charity-owned responsible lender Fair for You. 1 The Fair for You Shopping Card loan is designed for the millions of Brits who need help spreading the cost of essential purchases. Customers can apply for a credit limit of up to £350, with money loaded onto a prepaid Mastercard that can be used as part or full payment online or in-store at partner retailers. Users can apply to top up once their balance is nearly paid off. Customers see exactly what they owe based on their payment plan, not just an APR. They can pay weekly, fortnightly, four weekly or monthly, and can reschedule repayments, while there are no charges for repaying early or changing schedule. Argos, Iceland Foods, Habitat, Dorset Home Stores, and ChemistDirect are among the retailers that will accept the card at launch, with more lined up. Fair for You, which has supported over 90,000 customers since being founded in 2015, expects that the new card will see its base expand by a further 100,000 over the next three years. Simon Dukes, CEO, Fair for You CIC, says: "Across the UK, millions of people have less than £100 in savings or will struggle to get credit, including through Buy Now Pay Later providers. "We want to make sure that those people can purchase life's essentials, whether it's putting down flooring in a new home, buying school uniform or baby equipment or replacing an appliance when it packs in."
