‘I KEEP PINCHING MYSELF I’m so lucky’
The self-confessed posh girl tells Katie Holloway how she’s gone from Chelsea parties to her dream job
Breezing into our photo shoot, Georgia “Toff ” Toffolo is nothing if not true to the title of her book, Always
Smiling. Last year’s Queen of the Jungle is incredibly animated, even apologising to her make-up artist for fidgeting too much.
You’d be forgiven for dismissing Toff as your regular Chelsea girl – after all, it’s already in her name. And while that is a role she happily admits to inhabiting, she’s also a warm, effervescent 23 year old, who can’t believe how many of her dreams have come true. “I keep having to pinch myself,” she tells us with a giggle. But when the spotlight’s off her, she’s still just plain old Georgia to the people closest to her. She chats about how later in the day she’ll be having dinner with her grandparents and cousin to celebrate his GCSES, and also how excited she is to watch vlogger pal Joe Sugg on Strictly Come Dancing.
Her eyes light up when she sees the costume we’ve sorted for our Alice In Wonderland-inspired shoot and she makes a mental note of the costume shop to browse for her Halloween outfit this year.
And if her anecdotes of Chelsea parties are anything to go by, we’ll be hoping for an invitation come October… You landed a job on Made In Chelsea at 19, won over the public on I’m A Celeb, presented on This Morning, and – if Instagram is to be believed - you have a Prince Charming in your life. Do you feel like you’re living in a fairy tale? Oh God, not sure about that [Prince Charming]. Imagine me one year ago to the day – I was thrilled, because I just got Celebs
Go Dating, so I was like, “Life can’t ever get any better.” After being on
MIC for however many years, I’d finally got a gig outside of it. Fast forward six months, and I was in the jungle! Which was ridiculous, because I’m A Celeb is my favourite show from when I was young. I think its probably why I was so… I have a very happy
disposition, anyway, but my mum said that on the telly, I would wake up and be like, [beaming] “Good morning!” I was so grateful to be there. I’ve only had the past month to look back on everything, it’s so hectic. I just keep on pinching myself. I’m so lucky. And now you’ve written a book – were you nervous you wouldn’t have enough life experience to fill it? Completely, but it’s more of a guide to positivity and self-confidence, with aspects from my life woven in. For someone my age, I think I’ve been through some things that maybe some older people haven’t. I love writing – I’ve had columns in magazines and English was always my favourite subject at school. For me, it was a big job, but one I really wanted to complete. Some “diva” celebs *cough* Gemma Collins *cough* don’t seem to have written their own books… Everything in that book has come from my thoughts and my experiences. I tried so bloody hard to be open and authentic. I feel like people who follow me know me inside out – the way that I speak, the way I talk – it would have been really obvious if I wasn’t involved. I love presenting, but it’s on a par with writing, so for me it’s really important to get this first book right. So would you mind if we gave you quickfire test about your book? Just to double check… Oh my God, I’m nervous. You label some of your friends roles in your life – what do you call Sam Thompson? Ooh – so, Proudlock’s my wise old owl, Jess Woodley is the naughty one. What’s Sam? Oh – the flirtatious friend. Yes! What do you say are the magic words for encouraging someone to go out? Bloody hell! [Thinks.] Oh, “For one drink only.” Always works! Correct. Finally, name one of the ten songs that you say puts a smile on your face? ABBA, Dancing Queen. Full marks! I’m so thrilled I passed the test! I almost shat myself – it’s quite a long book. Now, is the drama that we see on MIC authentic? People think the action ends when the cameras stop rolling, but it’s completely the opposite – most of the stuff happens off camera! The poor producers are chasing to follow it, because they’re like, “Oh my goodness, how did that much happen in the evening?” I’ve been incredibly lucky on MIC, because fine, I was dumped a few times, but shit happens. I’ve never had the most awful heart-wrenching storylines. I just had fun. It’s a privilege that they were just able to follow me having fun. Of course, there were days when I was like, “Oh God, I don’t know if I can do this any more.” But then I’d go to filming and… I just hang out with Mark-francis all the time and we just laugh, you know? It’s my life, it’s completely consuming. You can’t switch off. You’re obviously great friends with Mark-francis, tell us a surprising fact about him that we wouldn’t expect. Is he a massive Corrie fan? No, definitely not! Even if he was, he would murder me if I told anyone. I dread going out with Mark, because he throws me around the dance floor so aggressively. I’m begging for mercy! He goes, “Toffette…” – that’s his nickname for me – so, he’s like, “Toffette, get on that dance floor!” I would have thought it would be the other way around. He’s so aggressive, but I love it. We’ve heard rumours that you’ve quit MIC… This series has been so hectic – it would have been silly for me to think it could have continued on top of everything else. At the moment, I am taking a little break, but I’m still living in Chelsea – I’ve still got all the same friends. Right now, I’m taking some time to concentrate on all the other amazing things, like the book! What life lessons have you learned from the show? Don’t believe petty gossip – I think that’s a big one. If a man goes off with your friend, he’s probably not The One. And no party is complete without Champagne.
‘I used to carry Camembert and tuna in my handbag’
The parties are rubbish when we drink beer. I love beer, but not when I’m filming MIC. We get a certain impression of what your Chelsea life must be like. What’s the biggest misconception about you? That I only like going to really high-end nightclubs. I love nothing more than slipping my trainers on and going out in Brixton. With a cap on, though, so everyone isn’t like, “Oh my God, Toff is here – she’s in the wrong borough.” Of course, I like going to nice places, but I also like getting muddy at a festival. But you obviously do go to some wild Chelsea parties, too. Is it true you used to carry a Camembert in your handbag to snack on during nights out? My friendship group call me tuna and Camembert, because I used to have tuna, too – in a resealable pot. I would go to meet my friends who work in the city and I would get so hungry, but the boys were so full of beer they’d be like, “We don’t want to leave.” So, I packed a snack. You admit in the book that you asked to go on I’m A Celeb. Why the jungle and not something like Strictly? I’ve always loved challenging myself and proving people wrong. I’d say the jungle is the best place to do that. Also, I’m completely obsessed. Back in the day, I used to watch the live stream – I was so naughty and would never want to go to bed. Then we went to Australia with my mum and stepdad and we went to the actual hotel! As soon as I got a little taste of fame, I was like, “I’ve got to get in that jungle.” You say you love being single because it means you can starfish in bed. Are we right in thinking that starfish has got a bit smaller recently? [Toff is rumoured to be dating Jack Maynard, who she met in the jungle.] Who are you talking about? Does it begin with a J? I spend more time with him than anyone else. We kind of have the same friendship group, because he lives near me, so we started to hang out a lot. I really enjoy spending time with him. Although I can confirm I was starfishing last night. Do you think it would have changed your jungle experience if he’d stayed in longer? I guess, especially as I ended up being the youngest on the show by such a long way. But we’ve made up for it now. You’ve had a lot of dreams come true. What do you still want to achieve? I want to become really good at presenting, like Holly Willoughby, Phillip Schofield, and Rylan Clark-neal. I don’t like it when people look at you and say she’s in that position just because of a TV show. I want them to look at me and think, she’s actually quite good at that!