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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.'
Daily Mirror
26-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Gail Porter: 'I lost everything including all my hair but now I've fallen in love'
Presenter and campaigner Gail Porter reveals how she has come out the other side of depression, alopecia and homelessness to find a whole new purpose and love for life Gail Porter is having a moment. At 54, the TV presenter and mental health campaigner sounds almost overwhelmed as she reflects on how far she's come, as she chats exclusively to the Mirror. 'I'm 100% happy,' she says. 'I've got my cat. My daughte r'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.' But Gail's smile falters as she remembers hitting rock bottom. In April 2011, aged 40, she was sectioned under a 28‑day order at a North London psychiatric unit near Hampstead. 'It was terrifying,' she admits. '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 found herself truly alone — sofa‑surfing for half a year, then 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 close call. A worried boyfriend alerted the police, fearing Gail might harm herself. '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. Before these darkest days, Gail had known other tough losses. She was 30 when she married Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave in August 2001, and their daughter, Honey, arrived in September 2002. The marriage ended in separatio n by late 2004, and divorce followed in 2007. 'I've been married once,' she sighs. 'That was enough.' Before that, Gail had a whirlwind fling with the late Keith Flint of The Prodigy. 'He was intense and exciting, but it wasn't meant to be,' she says. Her career was soaring in the late 90s, hosting Top Of The Pops and The Big Breakfast, and appearing on magazine covers. Then, in 2005, her hair began to fall out in clumps. Diagnosed with alopecia, she refused to wear wigs. '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 hair loss coincided with anorexia and depression, and her once‑busy diary was blank. 'I lost everything — my house, my career, my confidence,' she admits. In her memoir‑in‑progress, Gail describes crying alone in Soho doorways, terrified that the next gig would be her last. Yet today, she believes she has the best of both worlds. After climbing back from bankruptcy in 2017, and making a Bafta‑winning BBC documentary, Being Gail Porter, in 2020, Gail is finally steady. She's renting again in North London, but still mindful of bills. 'It's awful out there. I work with Fair For You [a not-for-profit online lending company] 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,' she says. When it comes to romance, Gail is unequivocal. 'I don't date. In the 90s, you'd go out, have a few drinks, maybe meet someone. 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.' Her tone hardens at the memory of intrusive remarks. '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.' Gail's laugh breaks as she jokes about her frail eyelashes, fingers tracing her brow. 'I look like a massive baby with boobs. My lashes have grown back recently, and I save a fortune on mascara. I even microbladed my brows — they were too dark, so I bleached them at home. Complete chaos!' She's protective of her looks. 'I had my boobs reduced years ago because they were massive and my back hurt, but that's all the surgery I've ever had. I don't want anyone touching my face. I want to grow old my way.' She reflects on the n otorious February 1999 FHM photo shoot. 'They airbrushed me to within an inch of my life. Young girls looked at that and thought, 'Wish I had a body like that.' They probably took off a stone. They didn't pay me, made a fortune, projected it on to the side of the Houses of Parliament, and left me to deal with it. I don't even have a copy!' Fortunately, not all photo shoots she has taken part in have had such an infamous impact. Recently, Gail shot a campaign for Amber Jean Rowan's conscious‑sourcing wig brand. "Amber's brilliant — she gets alopecia. 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 felt odd at first, but it's so similar to my old hair that it felt exhilarating. It's not about covering anything up — it's self‑expression. I now have the freedom to change my look whenever I fancy. I have the best of both worlds!' The Gail launches just ahead of Hair Loss Awareness Month in August. 'It became the best seller in the Amber Jean collection. I'm still proud of embracing baldness, but now I can also play with style.' Gail's journey is a testament to what she calls 'the brutal beauty of starting over'. She's hosting Q&As on Princess Cruises, touring her stand‑up, and raising awareness of homelessness with Prince William 's Homewards campaign. She's even planning a second memoir, already optioned for film. '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.' Her story is not one of bravery, Gail insists, but of survival. 'I hate it when people say, 'Poor Gail,' or 'Gail, you're so brave.' 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.'
Irish Examiner
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Michael Douglas ‘no real intentions' of going back to acting
Hollywood star Michael Douglas has said he has 'no real intentions' of going back to acting and that he is happy 'taking the time off'. The 80-year old actor and producer was speaking during a press conference at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic for the 50th anniversary of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, which he co-produced. Douglas most recently starred as Benjamin Franklin in the Apple TV+ series Franklin in 2022 and said that unless something 'special' came along, it was time for him 'to stop'. The actor, who is married to Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones, also spoke about how 'lucky' he was to have made a recovery from stage four cancer after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment and avoiding surgery that would have impacted his speech and removed parts of his jaw. Michael Douglas said he was 'very happy taking the time off' (Doug Peters/PA) He said: 'I've had a very busy career. I have not worked since 2022, purposefully, because I realised I had to stop. I had been working pretty hard for almost 60 years, and I did not want to be one of those people who dropped dead on the set. 'I'm very happy with taking the time off. I have no real intentions of going back. 'I say I'm not retired, because if something special came up, I'd go back, but otherwise, I'm quite happy. Just like to watch my wife work.' Douglas co-produced the film adaptation to Ken Kesey's novel, which explores themes of power and resistance as a rebellious convict arrives at a psychiatric hospital in 1963 where he encourages his fellow patients to take control of their lives and defy the tyrannical head nurse. Starring Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher, the film was nominated for nine Oscars and took home five including the 1975 award for best picture. Michael Douglas is married to Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones (Ian West/PA) When asked about the parallels between the film and current political environment in the US, Douglas said: 'I think our president's name has been mentioned enough in the short time that he's been president. 'And I look at it generally as the fact of how precious, how precious democracy is, how vulnerable it is, and how it always has to be protected, and we have to be reminded. 'Right now, our country is flirting with autocracy as some other democracies in this world. 'Democracy is not to be taken for granted, and I think it reminds us that we all need to make our efforts. It's not the job of somebody else. 'And of course, the disappointing thing is, politics now seem to be for profit. 'I myself am worried, I'm nervous, and I just think it's all of our responsibilities, not for somebody else to look out for us, but for us to each look out for ourselves.'
Leader Live
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Michael Douglas ‘no real intentions' of going back to acting
The 80-year old actor and producer was speaking during a press conference at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic for the 50th anniversary of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, which he co-produced. Douglas most recently starred as Benjamin Franklin in the Apple TV+ series Franklin in 2022 and said that unless something 'special' came along, it was time for him 'to stop'. The actor, who is married to Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones, also spoke about how 'lucky' he was to have made a recovery from stage four cancer after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment and avoiding surgery that would have impacted his speech and removed parts of his jaw. He said: 'I've had a very busy career. I have not worked since 2022, purposefully, because I realised I had to stop. I had been working pretty hard for almost 60 years, and I did not want to be one of those people who dropped dead on the set. 'I'm very happy with taking the time off. I have no real intentions of going back. 'I say I'm not retired, because if something special came up, I'd go back, but otherwise, I'm quite happy. Just like to watch my wife work.' Douglas co-produced the film adaptation to Ken Kesey's novel, which explores themes of power and resistance as a rebellious convict arrives at a psychiatric hospital in 1963 where he encourages his fellow patients to take control of their lives and defy the tyrannical head nurse. Starring Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher, the film was nominated for nine Oscars and took home five including the 1975 award for best picture. When asked about the parallels between the film and current political environment in the US, Douglas said: 'I think our president's name has been mentioned enough in the short time that he's been president. 'And I look at it generally as the fact of how precious, how precious democracy is, how vulnerable it is, and how it always has to be protected, and we have to be reminded. 'Right now, our country is flirting with autocracy as some other democracies in this world. 'Democracy is not to be taken for granted, and I think it reminds us that we all need to make our efforts. It's not the job of somebody else. 'And of course, the disappointing thing is, politics now seem to be for profit. 'I myself am worried, I'm nervous, and I just think it's all of our responsibilities, not for somebody else to look out for us, but for us to each look out for ourselves.'
South Wales Guardian
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Michael Douglas ‘no real intentions' of going back to acting
The 80-year old actor and producer was speaking during a press conference at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic for the 50th anniversary of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, which he co-produced. Douglas most recently starred as Benjamin Franklin in the Apple TV+ series Franklin in 2022 and said that unless something 'special' came along, it was time for him 'to stop'. The actor, who is married to Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones, also spoke about how 'lucky' he was to have made a recovery from stage four cancer after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment and avoiding surgery that would have impacted his speech and removed parts of his jaw. He said: 'I've had a very busy career. I have not worked since 2022, purposefully, because I realised I had to stop. I had been working pretty hard for almost 60 years, and I did not want to be one of those people who dropped dead on the set. 'I'm very happy with taking the time off. I have no real intentions of going back. 'I say I'm not retired, because if something special came up, I'd go back, but otherwise, I'm quite happy. Just like to watch my wife work.' Douglas co-produced the film adaptation to Ken Kesey's novel, which explores themes of power and resistance as a rebellious convict arrives at a psychiatric hospital in 1963 where he encourages his fellow patients to take control of their lives and defy the tyrannical head nurse. Starring Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher, the film was nominated for nine Oscars and took home five including the 1975 award for best picture. When asked about the parallels between the film and current political environment in the US, Douglas said: 'I think our president's name has been mentioned enough in the short time that he's been president. 'And I look at it generally as the fact of how precious, how precious democracy is, how vulnerable it is, and how it always has to be protected, and we have to be reminded. 'Right now, our country is flirting with autocracy as some other democracies in this world. 'Democracy is not to be taken for granted, and I think it reminds us that we all need to make our efforts. It's not the job of somebody else. 'And of course, the disappointing thing is, politics now seem to be for profit. 'I myself am worried, I'm nervous, and I just think it's all of our responsibilities, not for somebody else to look out for us, but for us to each look out for ourselves.'
