Peaches Geldof and the Geldof family #3

[Serene Serena]

I thought she had a pretty face but disliked her attempts at trying to convince us the public that she was some kind of earthmother with her kids. I think she put herself before the kids and she should have stopped after Fifi she wasn't cut out for motherhood.

She definitely shouldn’t have had any more children. She was a terrible mother who put her own needs first. All that Enid Blytonesque fake happy childhood photo shoots she did with the younger girls was ridiculous.

 

[PeteM]

Re Paula Yates being a groupie, I remember a Popbitch newsletter from years ago which had a story about her orally servicing all of Wet Wet Wet in turn whilst they were seated.

 

[theleagueofgentlemen]

That’s gross but it’s not illegal, is it? In fact, most stuff is legal between two consenting adults these days. I always wonder if they just mean anal (but that’s not illegal anyway) but I’m probably quite vanilla when it comes to celebrities and their sex lives (and reading some of the stuff MH and PY got up to, I’m quite happy with that i.e the rubber suits, massaging her arse cheeks ‘for hours’ etc).

I think a lot of celeb type men push the boundaries when it comes to sex out of sheer boredom. They can have any woman they want, so they don’t even get a buzz out of ‘the chase’ and have to find it in other ways. Not my cup of tea. I wouldn’t want to be a performing monkey for a man in the bedroom just to keep him interested.

Sorry to interject but anal sex between consenting heterosexual couples was illegal until 1994 in the uk, so I’ve always assumed that’s what they meant tbf

 

[Doneuplikeadogsdinner]

Good god what is wrong with these women?

When I had my first child in 1995 I said I was not going to smack her . Therefore made really clear than any grandparents or uncles/ aunties could not smack her if looking after her . Not that they did that much .. very much on their request . Anyway this was met with loads of … she will be spoilt / she will be a nightmare . And actually she never has been … she is 27 , a gorgeous and kind human being . Anyway the point is .. it was actual unusual not to smack your kids in the mid 90’s
I think because I was 17 when I had her the memory of being smacked both at school and at home left such negativity I vowed I would never do that ….and I never have but initially huge criticisms and my parents smacked my sisters kids .. because she did

 

[FrannyGallops]

I thought she did well to say to Hislop “Ian, be kind” and refusing to join in or try and clap back once he was really on her case. Also what did those men say that was so funny. ”You’ve had a boob job”, hardly witty.

I agree. It all seemed to be about how she looked and her boob job. Paula had committed the cardinal sin of not being a supermodel. I don’t think the general public ever got over the fact Michael dumped Helena Christiansen for Paula (even though I think that relationship was probably on the way out by the time he was shagging Paula. I think he usually ended his relationships after a maximum of 3 years).

 

[Phil Anne Throw Pee]

She wasn't pretty or plain, just very striking.

 

[IfTheCapFits]

2 part ch4 documentary due next month, article on sky news

 

[BashmentLady]

MH was a complete mess, during his RS with Paula he declined so much. In part as INXS became outdated. Look at the TGIF interview. He looked awful. I love MH as a musician, but I don’t think he was a good parent. I don’t hate Paula, but she was a terrible parent. They both got a lot of stick for their OWN bad choices

Not that I disagree with what you mean here, but I don't think enough is made of his brain injury. There's absolutely horrendous choices made, but I think having an untreated and incredibly damaging brain injury might be a major factor in said choices.

 

[IdeletedbutI'mbackagain]

Yes, this was what Fifi had to say about it. She basically took on Paula’s role as mother when Paula opted out of it to sit on MH’s crotch and her dad was severely depressed. I often feel like Bobs mental health is overlooked, as he is quite private. He clearly was destroyed by all that went on, much of which was not of his own choosing or in his control. The poor children suffered even worse, having zero control over what was happening. THIS is why I have always judged Paula so hard. She was just.. selfish

Fifi Geldof reveals the trauma of mental illness and parents divorce

In her first ever interview Fifi Geldof, 31, reveals her lifelong struggle with clinical depression and how Robin Williams' suicide last month persuaded her to go public.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Paula was never on my radar, I was too young at her height of fame, but from everything I have read about her this is what shines through. She was incredibly selfish, which is fine, some people are just wired that way but selfish people shouldn't have children or at least keep having children. She choose to have 4 that she didn't seem to have any interest in mothering properly.

I do feel like she looked on MH as a prize and I feel her inability to accept his suicide (which is what his death is reported as in every article I read and even in the 2019 Mystify documentary) seems more about her bruised ego than anything else. Which is just horrific to me, that she tried to change the narrative of his death to make herself feel better

She obviously had a shit childhood but she then went on to do the same to her daughters. Poor Peaches never had a chance.

 

[Jelly Bean]

Lukewarm old Geldof
I only just remembered my friend used to live near the Geldof's massive house in Kent in the 80s. She would often see Bob walking around the fields and said he was always polite. Every year the Geldof's used to have a sort of fete in their grounds open to all the village. I think they only had Fifi at that point? Not sure. Paula was going through her outwardly immersing herself in country life phase.
She had said she wanted to write a series of fiction books about goings on in village life like 'Miss Read'. But also wanted to do her 'Rock stars in their underpants' book at about the same time.

 

[cee-bee]

I don’t know, I was not a PY fan, knew little of MH and just a bit about BG. But given both PY and MH were selfish heavy drug users (notoriously so in their circles) I really can’t see all the stuff about Bob being an awful parent being true? None of the girls have ever dissed him and my kids have a shit mean selfish dad and they would never been seen comfortably hugging him (and there’s many pics of Bob with different kids hugging and touching) I’m sure he was not perfect, but I understood he wanted their house with the kids in it and Paula to leave.

Tbf family relationships are complex. I’ve seen adults put their parents on a pedestal and crave their love and affection even if they were terrible parents.

 

[Make It Stop]

Was the Geldof marriage an open one then? Because I can't imagine Bob not knowing about all these affairs Paula had even in the 80s. Also Bob apparently had an affair when Fifi was a baby, with Claire King who later appeared in Emmerdale.

It was all a bit of a sham really, Paula playing the great mother. Seems like the nanny had a much more positive influence on the girls.

I find it harder to believe that more than one woman found Bob attractive then that Richard Gere let a hamster play in his anal passage.

 

[Greentea12]

She was really bloody annoying and also really rude and entitled. She only seemed to be more bearable when she had children. It’s sad she couldn’t fight her demons, I hope the boys are ok.
Also, I wonder how Bob, his wife, Fifi and Pixie feel about Tiger living in Australia. I remember reading that they weren’t close anymore which must be sad since she was raised with them. But the distance still must be difficult, it’s not like they can hop on a plane. Was Tiger at Pixie’s wedding?

The Late Late Show in Ireland had a special celebrating Bob's 70th Birthday and both Pixie and Tiger appeared with him. I didn't watch all of it, but they all seemed close. Tiger has been living in Australia for a number of years so she would have probably flown in especially for it.

 

[LoopyLou47]

Sad to read that the ex girlfriend gets the blame - despite there being “alcohol and cocaine” in his bloodstream when he died.

Yes it's not for her to tell his family, no matter how close they were. It was Michael's responsibility. If he didn't tell them and/ or told her not to tell them it's not her job to go against his wishes.I seem to remember Michael and his family were not close. They hardly saw Tiger Lily but still fought for custody. They all seem dodgy.

 

[despair]

This is what I don’t understand. Why leave your heroin addicted wife alone with a little baby? Maybe he thought the presence of the baby would stop her using? I’m still baffled by it. Phaedra could have died too.

Never understood it, but he was young too and maybe he just had to trust her. But seems reckless to take them away when they were probably a reason to not use. However she had been in rehab twice and maybe she convinced them she was fine and the break would be good. We don’t know I guess. Absolutely heartbreaking and that poor baby.

 

[femmegirly]

How old was Bob when he got with 17 year old Paula?

I think he was 25

I just read that when a guest on Loose Women, Johnathan said that when he was with Jane, early in their relationship when she was a teenager, he was a father figure as well as her lover.

I feel sick. That family need their own thread. Can someone make one so I can stop derailing this thread?

 

[despair]

TL may have copied her sisters and called BG dad but she left the country to live on the other side of the world when she was old enough. Peaches had a horrendous heroin addiction, she was given an awful lot of freedom, at a young age to go clubbing and mix with adults in a world that most of us would consider depraved. Fifi was an alcoholic who suffered with depression. He could have accessed any and all types of counselling for them when they were grieving children but he left it to the nanny to deal with, does that sound like a present and loving father? It doesn't to me.

Parents can’t be blamed for their children’s addictions, you can help and support but you can’t fix. My son has addiction issues and is an adult, I’ve accessed so much help but until he was ready to help himself, it made no difference (he’s now older than Peaches managed to get to) it is very very easy to blame a parent when a child goes off the rails but it’s rarely lack of love or support that means the person remains a drug user.
Regarding Heavenly travelling to Australia in her 20s, seem a stretch to blame her relationship with her dad. Many people travel and relocate. And it is where her biological father was born, in no way does it scream to me, she’s getting away from BG.
---

I am torn over Bob. He has a saintly image but there's plenty of contradictory evidence, not least TL leaving the fam behind. I can imagine he is tight. Where does he get his money from?? Royalties these days from Do They Know it's Christmas, surely?

I just think he’s an average person, has his flaws and tried to do his best. He’s no saint. But seems to me he has a loving relationship with his kids (which is hard to fake in photos) and they seem natural together. But it is all speculation.

 

[HotesTilaire]

Article in the DM about Tiger Lily, off the back of the Paula documentary.
Nothing terribly new but she is known as Heavenly now. And apparantly was meant to get £36m from Michael's estate and got nothing as it had 'all gone'.
It also said Fifi had a tempestuous relationship with Paula for years and they weren't speaking.

I can imagine that, as the eldest, Fifi would have the most complaints as she’d have been old enough to know what was going on, and to be dumped with the little ones to entertain, at times.
I can also see Tigerbeing known as “Hev” and flying under the radar

 

[Eirawen]

I didn't remember her wedding at all but you were right, she looked beautiful, truly happy.... so sad
View attachment 2051035

There is look of genuine love between and Bob.

 

[plinky2]

PY flounced around writing witty things for columns and fantasising about everything. She actually liked the ‘jezabel’ label as it what what got her jobs - Paula flirting and giggling on TV was her USP. She tried to foray into an Earth mother type and could have done well with that long term but she wasn’t really that good at concentrating on one thing. I do feel sorry for her as she was clearly very damaged from her childhood and was trying to find safety and love but got it mixed up with sex and obsessions