PIERS’S PICK OF HIS LIFE STORIES

As his revelatory oneon-one talk show approaches its 100th episode, Piers Morgan on 25 of his most captivating subjects

Piers Morgan’s Life Stories is the series that revived the great tradition of the oneon-one talk show. Under the spotlight, movie stars, showbiz legends, pop icons and even a serving prime minister have all laid bare the tragedies and triumphs of their lives.

Since the first episode aired back in 2009 with Sharon Osbourne, some of the most famous names on the planet have submitted to Piers’ questioning. Now the show is about to hit its landmark 100th episode in a new series including boxer Chris Eubank, singer Coleen Nolan, TV personality Gemma Collins, presenter Trisha Goddard and actor Rupert Everett. ‘Rupert’s at the point in his life where he doesn’t give a s***, and he wanted to tell me all the great stories he felt he couldn’t do before,’ says Piers. Here then, to mark the forthcoming milestone, Piers tells Natalie Clarke about 25 of his most compelling subjects... 1 DAME BARBARA WINDSOR Actress, who died aged 83 last December (2010) ‘I asked her, “How would you like to be remembered, for the world’s most famous cleavage or the world’s most mischievous cackle?” She said, “None of those, just as a good old bird.” That went to the heart of her character and modesty. She said the most important thing was her husband, Scott [left, with her]. Everyone thought it wouldn’t last, but right to the end he cared for her.’ 2 SIR MICHAEL PARKINSON 85, broadcaster (2019) ‘Parky had done some very moving interviews himself but never shown emotion in public. I asked him about his father [right, with Michael as a boy], who died in 1975, and he remembered his body being taken down the stairs of their home. He suddenly choked up and began to sob. We had to stop recording. I couldn’t believe it, neither could he. He was baffled as to why it triggered such emotion so long after the event. ‘The key thing with an intervie w is listening, which is not my natural quality. But what I got from the likes of Parky and David Frost is the power of silence. Don’t rush in to fill the silence. And ironically, I used that to great effect with Parky.’ 3 CHERYL (FORMERLY COLE) 37, singer (2010) ‘Cheryl was the highest rated show – it got more than eight million viewers. She’d just split up from Ashley Cole – she was one of the biggest stars and he was one of the biggest footballers in the country. Everyone knew he’d broken her heart. Cheryl [left, on the show] actually arrived with two boxes of Kleenex. I went to her dressing room beforehand, and as soon as she saw me she burst into tears. She said, “I don’t know if I can do this.” The interview was incredibly powerful.’ 4 GORDON BROWN 69, former prime minister (2010) ‘Gordon was the only serving PM I did. It made a lot of headlines because he got emotional [left], which nobody had seen before. He was always going to get very tearful about the loss of his daughter [Jennifer was born prematurely and died aged ten days in 2002]. It was a very moving moment from someone I’ve known for a very long time as a close friend.’ 5 MARY BERRY 85, food writer, chef and TV presenter (2014) ‘Mary Berry was all I thought she would be – very gracious, very eloquent. Then there was a moment where she talked about losing one of her sons. Mary [above, with her children] lost her poise, as you would expect, and got very emotional. I remember myself feeling very emotional because two of my sons were around the same age at that time.’ 6 SIRROGER MOORE Actor and former James Bond, who died aged 89 in 2017 (2012) ‘You won’t believe this but if you look at photos of the younger me, Roger and I [both above] look quite similar – people used to mistake me for him. He was a gentleman. I asked if human nature kicked in when he did love scenes with the Bond girls, and he said, “I always have the same conversation: I apologise if I get a little over-excited, and I apologise if I don’t.”’ 7 GERI HALLIWELL 48, singer and former Spice Girl (2010) ‘I really like Geri Halliwell, but she’s done a lot of therapy. In a way they’re not the best of interviews for Life Stories because they’ve talked about everything so much, it sounds like it’s slightly prepared. Particularly if you compare it with someone like Mel B, who was wilder and more revealing...’ 8 MEL B 45, singer and former Spice Girl (2019) ‘Mel B [above, with Geri] was sensational. She suddenly, out of nowhere and under a little bit of grilling from me, revealed that there had been a little bit of rumpty-bumpty with Geri Halliwell when they were in the Spice Girls [Geri later denied it].’

9 JAYNE TORVILL, 63, AND CHRISTOPHER DEAN, 62 Olympic-ice-skating champions and judges on ITV’S Dancing On Ice (2013) ‘I said to ITV, “I’m going to get them to reveal that something went on between them” – there’s no way you could dance like that to Bolero [above], with that sexual chemistry, and there to have been nothing. Anyway, they eventually looked at each other, and I thought, “All right, here we go”, and they said, “Yes, there was a snog at the back of a bus...”’ 10 SIMON COWELL 61, pop mogul and judge on Britain’s Got Talent (2010) ‘When I read Simon’s story, one day sprang out – in 1999, on the same day Westlife went to No 1, his dad died. His dad [Eric, right, with a young Simon] had been a great force in his life. It was the best and worst day of Simon’s life. He did get tearful.’ 11 RAQUEL WELCH 80, actress (2015) ‘That was a boyhood dream come true. I had Raquel as a pin-up [left] on my wall as a teenager. She invited me to her hotel the day before our interview for a briefing, but cancelled at the last minute. I was finally going to be in a luxury suite with Raquel Welch and I had to tell her, “You broke my little heart.”’ 12 BURT REYNOLDS Actor, who died aged 82 in 2018 (2012) ‘Before our interview, Burt was in London at the Dorchester, he was watching Good Morning Britain to see what I was like and that day I gave Lorraine Kelly a heart-shaped pillow with my face on for her birthday. Not long after I got a package. It was Burt Reynolds’ face on a heartshaped pillow [above] and a message, “With love from Burt”. I’ve got it on my wall.’ 13 DES O’CONNOR Entertainer, who died aged 88 last November (2011) ‘Des [above, on the show] was everything you thought he would be. He was warm, he was funny, he was mischievous, he was self-deprecating; he felt lucky to be there, lucky to be loved. He had this rare thing for celebrities, particularly bigger stars – he was able to laugh at himself.’ 14 SIR CLIFF RICHARD 80, singer (2020) ‘Cliff was the first celebrity I ever interviewed, at Wimbledon Theatre, and he gave two hours of his time to a cub reporter on the local paper. He couldn’t have been more gracious or charming or helpful. I never forgot that. And he hasn’t changed, he was the same on Life Stories [below], just a genuinely good bloke.’ 15 CAPTAIN SIR TOM MOORE 100, former Army officer and national hero (2020) ‘Would he have the stamina for the interview? He’s Captain Tom, he marched up and down his garden, raising 39 million quid, when every step was agony for him, of course he’d have the stamina. Everything he said on the show [above] was a pearl of wisdom – it was a privilege and an honour to interview him.’ 16 RONNIE CORBETT Entertainer, who died aged 85 in 2016 (2009) ‘One of my favourites. At the end Ronnie [below, on the show] walked to the edge of the stage to do a monologue from The Two Ronnies from memory. He also sent me a really nice, charming, hand-written letter of gratitude.’ 17 CILLA BLACK Singer and entertainer, who died aged 72 in 2015 (2009) ‘Cilla was the longest recording – three hours and 45 minutes. That gets cut down to 38 minutes. She was very nervous, but a lot of big stars are nervous when they’re out of their comfort zone. Cilla [right, with Piers] was one of the great Life Stories because she had one of the great lives.’ 18 SIR ELTON JOHN 73, singer (2010) ‘Elton [below] was one of the biggest stars we ever did, he took a lot of persuading. He was very wary of falling into any traps I might set. I don’t really do that here. It’s not like on Good Morning Britain, where you have ten minutes to get a line out of people. But there can be no restrictions on what I can ask.’ 19 DENNIS WATERMAN 72, actor (2012) ‘Dennis Waterman was the most shocking of all the Life Stories [right]. He talked in a very macho way about hitting [his third wife] Rula Lenska. It was quite a long time ago, but the audience full of young women were horrified. It showed me how much time has moved on. It’s no longer acceptable to hit women or talk like that about it, thank God.’

20 DAME JOAN COLLINS 87, actress (2010) ‘She’s so fabulous that I’m hoping to do her again. She’s one of my favourite stars in the world, if not the favourite. I’ve had lunches and dinners with her coming out of my ears [above], she’s unbelievably entertaining. Every ten years you could have Joan on because she packs so much in. She’s so sharp, so funny, and she’s got such a tremendous zest for life.’ 21 PAUL GASCOIGNE 53, former footballer (2011) ‘I remember going to see him outside, chain smoking, shaking with nerves. Gazza [left, in his heyday] was the greatest English footballer I’ve ever seen and to see how his life had fallen apart was really sad. It was such a moving interview, a story of a fallen genius struggling with the real world.’ 22 SIR ROD STEWART 76, singer (2010) ‘Rod is one of my favourite rock stars ever. He was never going to cry in a million years. I could literally have rubbed a box of onions in his face and he still wouldn’t have shed a tear. I occasionally watch football with Rod [right, with Piers at a cricket match] in LA. He’s one of the most down to earth, genuine people in showbusiness and that came over in the interview. What you see is what you get with Rod.’ 23 IAN BOTHAM, now Baron Botham, 65, former cricketer (2014) ‘Ian gave me a great line. It was the last ever ball he bowled in cricket, against the Australian touring team up at Durham. Ian [above, with press after the game] got to the end of his runup and, as he put it, undid his zip, took out the old meat and two veg and ran in to bowl at the Australian batsman with everything dangling.’ 24 BRIAN BLESSED 84, actor (2013) ‘It was like interviewing myself with a massive beard! Loud, self-confident, very funny, sharp, an extraordinary personality, I think of all the guests I’ve ever had Brian [above] had the biggest personality and the biggest voice. It was a big show with a big man who had big things to say. For ticking the number of ‘big’ boxes, it would be Brian Blessed.’ 25 ANN WIDDECOMBE 73, former Conservative MP (2011) ‘I kept thinking Ann [above] was going to whack me with her handbag. I don’t know if there was a handbag, but it felt like there was one lurking ready to smash me over the head if I got too impudent. She was a kind of female John Prescott. Interviewing him, as I did the same year, was like interviewing a boxer. Every time you threw a zinger out, you thought you might get punched in the head. I like Prezza though. He was a proper politician. You get people on Good Morning Britain now, they don’t want to answer questions, they don’t want to engage in a good old-fashioned dust-up, they want to run away. His was a very pugilistic encounter.’

Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, Thursday, 9pm, ITV.

Rupert will be sitting down with Piers