‘I always spend Christmas on my own’
The meaning of Christmas may be about spending time with loved ones, but I have to admit I always spend the day on my own. My family is everything to me, but I’m just not interested in Christmas. I hate the stress of it and the pressure to spend so much money on presents and food. So I take myself off somewhere for two weeks, fishing, without any friends or family.
I’ve always been a loner and benefit a lot from my own company. I also haven’t bought a Christmas card or present for about 11 years. My wife Amelia is pregnant with our much-longed-for first child – due on Valentine’s Day – but I’m still going to go away for a few weeks on my own. Amelia loves Christmas, so she spends it with her family, though she has put her foot down and said I’ll be spending the day with her and our baby daughter next year.
She’s always been supportive of my choice; it’s just like that old saying, “If you love something, set it free”. She understands that when I feel a build-up of pressure, it’s best for me to get away and have some alone time. I quit my chat show The Wright Stuff in June after 18 years because I’d had enough. It just wasn’t fun any more and the stress was taking its toll. The 4am starts left me feeling jet-lagged. If I’d carried on with the show, it would have impacted on my family.
We do have a few little festive traditions together. Amelia and I put up a pink plastic tree that’s only 12 inches tall. I’ve had it for 15 years and we just whack it on top of the chest of drawers – and that’s the Christmas decorations done. Saves so much stress!