Latest news with #GillianAnderson
Rhyl Journal
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
What is The Salt Path and the story surrounding it?
The book tells the story of how she and her husband, Moth, walked the South West Coast Path after losing their home near Pwllheli. It was later turned into a film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. Winn has recently described enduring some of the 'hardest days' of her life, after claims that parts of it were fabricated. The Salt Path is a 2018 memoir, nature, and travel book written by Raynor Winn. It tells the story of the long-distance walk she and her husband Moth took along the South West Coast Path, in South West England. The pair had lost their home and Moth was reportedly diagnosed with fatal corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Throughout the story, the couple is almost penniless, receiving little money in tax credits each week and camping each night. The story ends on the last day, after walking the whole path in two sections, in two successive summers, when the couple meets a stranger who offers them the tenancy of a flat. In 2023, a film adaptation began production, with Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs in the lead roles. It premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the UK in May 2025. An investigation by The Observer newspaper, however, has reported that Winn may have misrepresented the events that led to the couple losing their home and that experts had doubts over Moth having corticobasal degeneration (CBD). The publisher, which also said the couple's legal names are Sally and Timothy Walker, said the couple lost their home after an accusation that Winn had stolen thousands of pounds from her employer, rather than a bad business investment. It also said that it had spoken to medical experts who were sceptical about Moth having CBD, given his lack of acute symptoms and his apparent ability to reverse them. Gillian Anderson attends the CineMerit Award for #GillianAnderson and the Premiere of the movie "The Salt Path" during the 2025 Munich Film Festival at Deutsches Theater in Munich, Germany. More #GettyVideo #MunichFilmFest 🎥 Andreas Rentz 👉 Penguin, which published the book, said it 'undertook all the necessary pre-publication due diligence', including a contract with an author warranty about factual accuracy, and a legal read. It added: 'Prior to the Observer enquiry, we had not received any concerns about the book's content.' In a statement on her website, she hit back at the Observer's article, saying it was 'grotesquely unfair, highly misleading and seeks to systematically pick apart my life'. She added: 'The Salt Path is about what happened to Moth and me, after we lost our home and found ourselves homeless on the headlands of the south west. 'It's not about every event or moment in our lives, but rather about a capsule of time when our lives moved from a place of complete despair to a place of hope. 'The journey held within those pages is one of salt and weather, of pain and possibility. And I can't allow any more doubt to be cast on the validity of those memories, or the joy they have given so many.' A post shared by Raynor Winn (@ On Wednesday (July 9), Winn also posted clinic letters on Instagram addressed to Timothy Walker, which she said showed that 'he is treated for CBD/S and has been for many years'. She wrote: 'The last few days have been some of the hardest of my life. Heartbreaking accusations that Moth has made up his illness have been made, leaving us devastated.' In a statement on Friday (July 11), Penguin Michael Joseph, which published The Salt Path in 2018, said Winn's next book will now be delayed. On Winter Hill was due to be published in October, but has been pushed back following the "intrusive conjecture". Recommended reading: A spokeswoman for the publisher said: 'Given recent events, in particular intrusive conjecture around Moth's health condition, which has caused considerable distress to Raynor Winn and her family, it is our priority to support the author at this time. 'With this in mind, Penguin Michael Joseph, together with the author, has made the decision to delay the publication of On Winter Hill from this October. 'We will announce a new publication date in due course.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
The Salt Path: How a blockbuster memoir strayed from the truth
The Salt Path, a memoir published in 2018, told an inspirational story; how Raynor Winn and her husband Moth lost their home following an unwise investment while the couple were dealing with Moth's diagnosis of a rare terminal illness. It was how they dealt with these blows that was so uplifting: they embarked on a 1,000km coastal walk and a journey of self-exploration. The book sold more than two million copies and prompted a film adaptation starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. And while creative licence is usual and even expected in any memoir, an investigation by Chloe Hadjimatheou, a reporter with the Observer newspaper, claims Raynor – real name are Sally Walker – had embezzled money from a former employer. Hadjimatheou also raises a sceptical eyebrow about the diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration that Moth received in 2013, though she does say that nothing she has seen contradicts his diagnosis or the book's account of it. READ MORE So what has been the reaction from the publishers, the film-makers and the couple in the eye of this literary storm – the Walkers, aka the Winns. Statements responding to the allegations came as the week went on including one from Raynor posting on her website. She admitted her deep regret for any mistakes she made while working for her former employer and is devastated by 'unfair and false' accusations that her husband's illness was fabricated or exaggerated. She said the book's account of the way they lost their home is true and that their property in France is 'an uninhabitable ruin'. She noted the couple have no outstanding debts. Chloe Hadjimatheou explains the fallout to her report. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
What Elizabeth Holmes and the Salt Path controversy tell us about stories
What is more satisfying than a story of triumph over adversity by wholesome people? A takedown. These two strands came together in a much-discussed investigation by the Observer newspaper last weekend into author Raynor Winn's memoir, The Salt Path, which was adapted into a film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. The Salt Path tells the story of Winn and her husband, Moth, who become homeless and embark on a 1,000km journey along the Devon and Cornwall coast, wild camping in all weathers. Nature proved not just spiritually healing but also physically, as Moth's degenerative condition seemed to improve. Unbelievable? Well, perhaps. The couple, whose real names are Sally and Tim Walker, said they lost their home because of a bad loan made to help a friend. But the Observer reported that Winn had embezzled money from her employer. The newspaper also questioned Moth's health condition. The memoirist is taking legal advice. In a statement this week, she said the investigation was 'grotesquely unfair, highly misleading'. READ MORE This episode has implications for business beyond the publishing industry, which must be scrutinising its fact-checking procedures. After all, falsehoods are rife in working life. One recent survey by fraud detection service Hedd found that '67 per cent of large companies have seen an increase in job application fraud, attributing the trend to AI tools being used to enhance or fabricate experience or qualifications'. I suspect the trend in storytelling for business, which requires entrepreneurs, leaders and brands to have a narrative and encourages embellishments, imposing a simplistic arc with a successful ending. It can lead people to exaggerate their humble origins to showcase their accomplishments through their own skill and talent. Like Kemi Badenoch , leader of Britain's Conservative party, saying working in McDonald's for three months made her 'working class'. Or entrepreneurs in the fake-it-till-you-make-it, start-up culture, telling a tall tale for investors about their future profits, the scale of business and even whether a product works ( Elizabeth Holmes ). This is a peculiar moment in history. It has never been easier to scam – fraudulent emails can be dispatched in large numbers and deepfake experts generated quickly. It is also easier to expose falsehoods, after all, anyone can play armchair detective, piecing together personal details from social media and online databases. [ The Irish Times view on the Salt Path controversy: what should we expect from a memoir? Opens in new window ] At the same time, there is greater tolerance for lies as long as a story has 'truthiness', to use US comedian Stephen Colbert's phrase, by being plausible and emotionally resonant. The same weekend The Salt Path story broke, I stumbled across an Instagram account with thousands of followers in which people told heartbreaking stories of unimaginable human tragedy, such as entire families killed in a car crash. How could you survive such grief, I thought, looking at the sad-faced but well-put-together bereaved. Except, as I looked closer, I saw the narrators were AI-generated characters. While some commenters complained about the fakery, others seemed moved, perhaps motivated not by gullibility but a desire to believe. The truth matters less to some than the narrative. A couple of years ago, I asked the Hollywood actor Tom Hanks how he felt about an AI character taking his place in a film. 'Some people are not going to dig it because it's not really a real human being, and other people simply aren't going to care because the story is okay,' he said. Frank Abagnale, whose own story of deception became the film Catch Me If You Can, told me this week: 'People want to believe stories are true, especially if the character turns out to do something very positive with his life.' It can sometimes seem arbitrary, who is investigated for wrongdoing and who is not. Whatever the veracity of Winn's story, she could not have predicted such attention. Books are not an obvious choice for anyone wanting to get rich quick. It also appears random who gets judged in the court of public opinion. Against a backdrop of global economic and political turmoil, The Salt Path investigation became a viral hit. Yet, if you are found out, it may prove to be the only thing you are remembered for, said Abagnale. Despite decades of working with businesses and law enforcement to combat fraud, he said it was 'once a criminal, always a criminal in the eyes of some'. While taking 'sole responsibility for my mistakes,' he added, 'notoriety is the worst curse an individual can experience'. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
What is The Salt Path and the story surrounding it?
The book tells the story of how she and her husband, Moth, walked the South West Coast Path after losing their home. It was later turned into a film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. Winn has recently described enduring some of the 'hardest days' of her life, after claims that parts of it were fabricated. What is the Salt Path? The Salt Path is a 2018 memoir, nature, and travel book written by Raynor Winn. It tells the story of the long-distance walk she and her husband Moth took along the South West Coast Path, in South West England. The pair had lost their home and Moth was reportedly diagnosed with fatal corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Throughout the story, the couple is almost penniless, receiving little money in tax credits each week and camping each night. The story ends on the last day, after walking the whole path in two sections, in two successive summers, when the couple meets a stranger who offers them the tenancy of a flat. In 2023, a film adaptation began production, with Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs in the lead roles. It premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the UK in May 2025. What is the controversy surrounding the Salt Path? An investigation by The Observer newspaper, however, has reported that Winn may have misrepresented the events that led to the couple losing their home and that experts had doubts over Moth having corticobasal degeneration (CBD). The publisher, which also said the couple's legal names are Sally and Timothy Walker, said the couple lost their home after an accusation that Winn had stolen thousands of pounds from her employer, rather than a bad business investment. It also said that it had spoken to medical experts who were sceptical about Moth having CBD, given his lack of acute symptoms and his apparent ability to reverse them. Gillian Anderson attends the CineMerit Award for #GillianAnderson and the Premiere of the movie "The Salt Path" during the 2025 Munich Film Festival at Deutsches Theater in Munich, Germany. More #GettyVideo #MunichFilmFest 🎥 Andreas Rentz 👉 — Getty Images Entertainment (@GettyVIP) July 1, 2025 Penguin, which published the book, said it 'undertook all the necessary pre-publication due diligence', including a contract with an author warranty about factual accuracy, and a legal read. It added: 'Prior to the Observer enquiry, we had not received any concerns about the book's content.' What has Raynor Winn said about the Observer's claims? In a statement on her website, she hit back at the Observer's article, saying it was 'grotesquely unfair, highly misleading and seeks to systematically pick apart my life'. She added: 'The Salt Path is about what happened to Moth and me, after we lost our home and found ourselves homeless on the headlands of the south west. 'It's not about every event or moment in our lives, but rather about a capsule of time when our lives moved from a place of complete despair to a place of hope. 'The journey held within those pages is one of salt and weather, of pain and possibility. And I can't allow any more doubt to be cast on the validity of those memories, or the joy they have given so many.' On Wednesday (July 9), Winn also posted clinic letters on Instagram addressed to Timothy Walker, which she said showed that 'he is treated for CBD/S and has been for many years'. She wrote: 'The last few days have been some of the hardest of my life. Heartbreaking accusations that Moth has made up his illness have been made, leaving us devastated.' Raynor Winn delays next book after Salt Path drama In a statement on Friday (July 11), Penguin Michael Joseph, which published The Salt Path in 2018, said Winn's next book will now be delayed. On Winter Hill was due to be published in October, but has been pushed back following the "intrusive conjecture". Recommended reading: A spokeswoman for the publisher said: 'Given recent events, in particular intrusive conjecture around Moth's health condition, which has caused considerable distress to Raynor Winn and her family, it is our priority to support the author at this time. 'With this in mind, Penguin Michael Joseph, together with the author, has made the decision to delay the publication of On Winter Hill from this October. 'We will announce a new publication date in due course.'
North Wales Chronicle
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
What is The Salt Path and the story surrounding it?
The book tells the story of how she and her husband, Moth, walked the South West Coast Path after losing their home. It was later turned into a film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. Winn has recently described enduring some of the 'hardest days' of her life, after claims that parts of it were fabricated. The Salt Path is a 2018 memoir, nature, and travel book written by Raynor Winn. It tells the story of the long-distance walk she and her husband Moth took along the South West Coast Path, in South West England. The pair had lost their home and Moth was reportedly diagnosed with fatal corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Throughout the story, the couple is almost penniless, receiving little money in tax credits each week and camping each night. The story ends on the last day, after walking the whole path in two sections, in two successive summers, when the couple meets a stranger who offers them the tenancy of a flat. In 2023, a film adaptation began production, with Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs in the lead roles. It premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the UK in May 2025. An investigation by The Observer newspaper, however, has reported that Winn may have misrepresented the events that led to the couple losing their home and that experts had doubts over Moth having corticobasal degeneration (CBD). The publisher, which also said the couple's legal names are Sally and Timothy Walker, said the couple lost their home after an accusation that Winn had stolen thousands of pounds from her employer, rather than a bad business investment. It also said that it had spoken to medical experts who were sceptical about Moth having CBD, given his lack of acute symptoms and his apparent ability to reverse them. Gillian Anderson attends the CineMerit Award for #GillianAnderson and the Premiere of the movie "The Salt Path" during the 2025 Munich Film Festival at Deutsches Theater in Munich, Germany. More #GettyVideo #MunichFilmFest 🎥 Andreas Rentz 👉 Penguin, which published the book, said it 'undertook all the necessary pre-publication due diligence', including a contract with an author warranty about factual accuracy, and a legal read. It added: 'Prior to the Observer enquiry, we had not received any concerns about the book's content.' In a statement on her website, she hit back at the Observer's article, saying it was 'grotesquely unfair, highly misleading and seeks to systematically pick apart my life'. She added: 'The Salt Path is about what happened to Moth and me, after we lost our home and found ourselves homeless on the headlands of the south west. 'It's not about every event or moment in our lives, but rather about a capsule of time when our lives moved from a place of complete despair to a place of hope. 'The journey held within those pages is one of salt and weather, of pain and possibility. And I can't allow any more doubt to be cast on the validity of those memories, or the joy they have given so many.' A post shared by Raynor Winn (@ On Wednesday (July 9), Winn also posted clinic letters on Instagram addressed to Timothy Walker, which she said showed that 'he is treated for CBD/S and has been for many years'. She wrote: 'The last few days have been some of the hardest of my life. Heartbreaking accusations that Moth has made up his illness have been made, leaving us devastated.' In a statement on Friday (July 11), Penguin Michael Joseph, which published The Salt Path in 2018, said Winn's next book will now be delayed. On Winter Hill was due to be published in October, but has been pushed back following the "intrusive conjecture". Recommended reading: A spokeswoman for the publisher said: 'Given recent events, in particular intrusive conjecture around Moth's health condition, which has caused considerable distress to Raynor Winn and her family, it is our priority to support the author at this time. 'With this in mind, Penguin Michael Joseph, together with the author, has made the decision to delay the publication of On Winter Hill from this October. 'We will announce a new publication date in due course.'
