Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
DEFINITE ARTICLE
We ask a celebrity a set of devilishly probing questions – and only accept THE definitive answer. This week it’s socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
The prized possession you value above all others…
My penthouse flat in Kensington, west London, which I bought 15 years ago. It’s like a New York loft and very rock star – it represents everything I worked for.
The biggest regret you wish you could amend…
Trusting people too easily in the 90s when I became well known.
The temptation you wish you could resist…
The online fashion retailer Net-a-Porter. I’ll go on a shopping binge because I know I can send it all back, but the trouble is I never do!
The book that holds an everlasting resonance…
Aesop’s Fables reminds me of my happy childhood. I love the morals and how the animals talk yet still retain their natural traits.
The figure from history for whom you’d most like to buy a pie and a pint…
Freddie Mercury. He was charismatic, eccentric and full of love.
The priority activity if you were the Invisible Woman for a day…
I love power tools, so I’d visit DIY shops without photographers following me.
The person who has influenced you most…
My mother Patty has taught me so much, from how to play the piano to how to be kind. She’s so cool.
The film you can watch time and time again…
The TV series of Brideshead Revisited beats any film. It’s so romantic.
The pet hate that makes your hackles rise… The unending quest that drives you on…
To make my family proud of me again. I’ve put them through a lot. [Tara went into rehab for cocaine addiction in 1999.]
The piece of wisdom you would pass on to a child…
‘A girl should always have a smile on her fa c e at t he breakfast table’, from a sign we had at home when I was a child. It’s about being positive.
The event that altered the course of your life and character…
Doing the first I’m A Celebr ity… in 2002. People saw I wasn’t a snob and I came second – it meant a lot.
The unlikely interest that engages your curiosity…
Forensic pathology. I love crime shows and as I’ve had a lot of psychiatric help in my time, I’m fascinated by the mind.
The poem that touches your soul…
The one George Frost wrote for his father David’s memorial service in 2014. It ended: ‘To my darling children, who wonder what to do/Just have a wonderful time, as I will, living through you.’
The misapprehension about yourself you wish you could erase…
People still think I’m a party-crazy It Girl, but I’m 45 now and I live a much quieter life. And they think I live off a trust fund, but I’ve always earned my own money.
The crime you would commit knowing you could get away with it…
I’d catch anyone who’s cruel to dogs, put them in cages and feed them dog food.
The treasured item you lost and wish you could have again…
Two Louis Vuitton trunks, which were stolen at a Swiss train station in 2013. They contained precious sentimental objects.
The song that means most to you…
The Windmills Of Your Mind sung by Noel Harrison moves me to tears.
The way you would spend your fantasy 24 hours, with no travel restrictions…
The day would begin with my family on the summit at Klosters, Switzerland. We’d ski down to the Chesa Grischuna hotel and have croissants for breakfast. After that I’d play tennis against Andy Murray at Wimbledon, then clear the shelves at resortwear shop Salt in Kensington. Next, I’d climb into a private jet with my friend Rupert Everett. We’d fly to the Dev Shree hotel in Rajasthan, India, where we’d play croquet and have a massage. Dinner would be at The Wolseley in London with Joan Collins, who fizzes with fun like champagne. The day would end at my family’s home in Hampshire, where I’d curl up with our two dogs.
The happiest moment you will cherish forever…
When I won Comic Relief Does Fame Academy in 2007. I was overwhelmed to get so many votes.
The saddest time that shook your world…
When Mummy had her skiing accident [Patty was severely injured in the avalanche that hit Prince Charles’s skiing group at Klosters in 1988]. It was reported that she’d died, which was devastating, and I didn’t know she’d survived until five hours later.
The unfulfilled ambition that continues to haunt you…
To get back to full health [Tara was treated for a brain tumour last year and is now being treated for an autoimmune condition].
The philosophy that underpins your life…
It’s always sunny at the top. It’s our family motto, from when my father Charles made us go skiing even when it was a white-out in the resort. At the summit we’d find perfect weather.
The order of service at your funeral…
I don’t like funerals where everyone has a good time and gets drunk, so I want a simple service with a positive eulogy and meaningful readings.
The way you want to be remembered…
Like a Bernese mountain dog – cheerful, beautiful and loved by all.
The Plug…
Tara’s signature garment, the Kubbi – a stretch body with a top half that looks like a man’s shirt, for wearing under sweaters and jackets – costs £195 from her label Desiderata London. Visit desideratalondon.com.