I remember that interview she gave after Michael's death, where she said Tiger's birth was the greatest moment of both their lives. What an awful thing to say when she had three other children.
I do think it's very telling that the last person Michael called before he died, when he was clearly very distressed, was his former girlfriend Michèle Bennett, saying he wanted to see her. Not Paula.I know Gerry Agar seems to be a bit of an unreliable narrator, but in her book she said Michael was getting bored of Paula towards the end and was trying to get out of it. Had his eye on someone else. He was also getting bored with all the wrangling with Bob over the children and the way it took up Paula's attention.
(Btw she always described her tattoo as a 'vomiting fish').
Yes, as I recall, a local shopkeeper said after her death that she would visit his shop several times a day to buy miniatures.I've just remembered an odd thing I heard about Paula's alcohol choices. Her favourite thing was lots of those mini bottles of spirits like you get in hotel mini bars. Maybe she thought in some way that didn't count?
This is because of her level of obsession with Michael. He was her ultimate prize - even if she made him unhappy with her hysterics and possessiveness, she didn’t even care she still wanted to keep him. She was not concerned about who got hurt in the process of holding on to MH. I used to wonder if it was even about Michael or the status of having Michael that was the attraction.I remember that interview she gave after Michael's death, where she said Tiger's birth was the greatest moment of both their lives. What an awful thing to say when she had three other children.
Spot on! I wasn’t a teenager in the early 80’s (born in 1974) but I do remember her being exactly what you describeYes.
I don't hate Paula but she was old fashioned even in the early 80's. Everyone at school watched The Tube but to us teenagers Paula was like someone's embarrassing Mum! Just so outdated. She wasn't the second most famous women in the UK as the program claimed - at the time she was just seen as a silly tart who'd slept her way into TV, not to mention the dodgy tat. Maybe these days she would be judged less harshly but I'm afraid her friends are misremembering how she was perceived back then. And that was before the true extent of her other men was revealed.
Hislop does behave badly but I think he expected some witty retorts from Paula, but once she realised she couldn't flirt her way out of it there was nothing left. Basically that's all she could do.
I don't feel sorry for Paula - she chose to have multiple affairs, dump the kids with the hired help and then overdose with her daughter in the house. However I do feel very sorry for all of her children - Peaches never stood a chance did she?
She used to have a parenting column In something like Prima magazine when she was still with Bob. It was all PTA’s and summer fetes and making cakes, while looking like she was dressed like Minnie Mouse. All an act, she was not a great mother…I remember seeing her on that bed and it did make me cringe she was not backwards in coming forwards and put it about and fed her own ego and narcissm. The earth mother image is what really made me puke, none of it was her at all she put herself first and kids second or even third after Michael H. I agree on HIGNFY Hislop (whom I dislike anyway not because of Paula) and Merton thought she would come back at them with witty comments and give as good as she got but no she wasn't that bright at all and by then she was unpopular in general and she shouldn't really have gone on the show.
I’ve always wondered too how much she loved Michael, versus feeling like she had bagged a prize. The relationship sounds like it was extremely difficult to live through, and there was all the custody battle drama with Bob. How much did Paula really care for Michael versus feeling pride at getting with him? I wonder if Michael felt nurtured and supported. I suspect not. It sounds like it was chaotic obsession going on more than anything. Equally, I’m sure Michael would have been a difficult character too.This is because of her level of obsession with Michael. He was her ultimate prize - even if she made him unhappy with her hysterics and possessiveness, she didn’t even care she still wanted to keep him. She was not concerned about who got hurt in the process of holding on to MH. I used to wonder if it was even about Michael or the status of having Michael that was the attraction.
Whilst I agree his head injury did change him, caused depression, being entangled with Paula who was an obsessive neurotic person was something MH struggled to handle. He would disappear sometimes when it got too much on benders which would freak her out.
MH was naturally a shy, passive, conflict avoidant type of person and Paula was loud, flamboyant, bullish, controlling and insecure. They never would have stayed together but he would have struggled to escape her. MH was a people pleaser who escaped in drugs and I think Paula just wanted him to stay so she joined in with him. I recall Gerry describing when they used to stay in south of France with their famous friends and both of them being too wasted to take care of TL and it being a miserable experience
one Thing I will say in her defence is that MH was known for being flighty and overlapping all of his women so it must have been really hard to be with someone and not know when they were going to leave you for someone else, but that there was a strong chance they might.
He was the type you knew would be eyeing the next one up before long a womaniser. Paula was the same but couldn't bear it being done to her.I’ve always wondered too how much she loved Michael, versus feeling like she had bagged a prize. The relationship sounds like it was extremely difficult to live through, and there was all the custody battle drama with Bob. How much did Paula really care for Michael versus feeling pride at getting with him? I wonder if Michael felt nurtured and supported. I suspect not. It sounds like it was chaotic obsession going on more than anything. Equally, I’m sure Michael would have been a difficult character too.
He seemed deeply uncomfortable in that interview, not Chris Evans fault, it was like he was very nervous. I got the impression he couldn't much control himself in those situations and was just reacting to feeling threatened/harassed by someone. Maybe as a result of being physically assaulted himself or maybe as a result of the brain damage, who knowsInteresting how Michael is advocating punching photographers in that TFI Friday interview. He knew how much damage one punch can do to a person, seeing as he lost his sense of taste along with other issues that appeared when he was randomly hit.
I’d be up for a thread - I’ve listened to all the Comfort Eating podcasts and read her autobiography but still feel quite ambivalent!i really don’t know how I feel about Grace Dent…off to search for a thread!
Me too but have no idea how to set one up!I’d be up for a thread - I’ve listened to all the Comfort Eating podcasts and read her autobiography but still feel quite ambivalent!
Yeah l agree. She was really funny when she had a column and l kinda like her ldgaf attitude...but l'm not sure.I’d be up for a thread - I’ve listened to all the Comfort Eating podcasts and read her autobiography but still feel quite ambivalent!
She was famously tee-total,in her autobiography she says something along the lines of that she thought drinking alcohol was the beginning of a very slippery slope,but that she had tried hard drugs in her teens and didn’t think they were as bad, acknowledging the irony, Something like that. I think her Dad was a big drinker and it put her off…she got into drinking after Michael died,I might be wrong, but drank champagne on the flight to Australia? I get the impression it didn’t start socially, more to self medicate. And she was right wasn’t she, it was a slippery slope……I don’t think she was tee-total Ithink that’s a bit of a myth, I understood that she wasn’t a “drinker” as in she might have a glass of something, but wasn’t fussed on it, or in the habit of doing it often or excessively. Any info in her biography?
From everything I have ever read that she said about him, I am still not sure on this. I think Michael really did have a magnetic charisma but tbh I think she irritated him. They were polar opposites really, he wanted a private life away from performing and to be known for music and she wanted to always be famous for the benefits it brought socially. Do you remember the big fence? MH didn’t want to stay in the U.K. he hated it and felt trapped. Paula was trapped here because of the Kids, so it was never really going to workI’ve always wondered too how much she loved Michael, versus feeling like she had bagged a prize. The relationship sounds like it was extremely difficult to live through, and there was all the custody battle drama with Bob. How much did Paula really care for Michael versus feeling pride at getting with him? I wonder if Michael felt nurtured and supported. I suspect not. It sounds like it was chaotic obsession going on more than anything. Equally, I’m sure Michael would have been a difficult character too.
Paula did touch upon this various times in interviews, how it (I assume, paraphrasing) was so unlike Michael to get together with a woman with children and other responsibilities.From everything I have ever read that she said about him, I am still not sure on this. I think Michael really did have a magnetic charisma but tbh I think she irritated him. They were polar opposites really, he wanted a private life away from performing and to be known for music and she wanted to always be famous for the benefits it brought socially. Do you remember the big fence? MH didn’t want to stay in the U.K. he hated it and felt trapped. Paula was trapped here because of the Kids, so it was never really going to work
tbh I don’t think they thought it through that was evident. They were trying to force something to work
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