READ ALL ABOUT IT
MARION MCMULLEN looks at the stars with stories to tell in new memoirs
1
Hollywood film star Geena Davis looks at her life and acting fame in Dying Of Politeness: A Memoir. In it the 66-year-old talks about her eccentric childhood; her roles in movies like Thelma & Louise and A League Of Their Own, her marriages – including to Jeff Goldblum – and how she has become a tireless advocate for women and girls.
2
The late Hollywood star Paul Newman began working on a memoir before his death in 2008. Now his children have published his candid memories in The Extraordinary Life Of An Ordinary Man: A Memoir by Paul Newman. It covers both his alcoholism and the tragic death of his son Scott.
3
Comedian and TV presenter Tom Allen pays homage to his late father in his second memoir Too Much.
He says: “There’s a catharsis putting things on the page, and you come to understand your own emotions by relating them like that.”
4
Harry Potter actor Tom Felton reflects on his time as Draco Malfoy in the magical films and his life since then in his autobiography Beyond The Wand. He joined the movie series as a child and grew up making the eight films over a 10-year period, ending in 2011.
5
U2 singer Bono recalls his childhood in Dublin, his music career and his philanthropic work in his new memoir Surrender. He told the Graham Norton Show: “I wanted to explain to my friends and family what I had done with their lives. They gave me permission to be an artist and an
activist.”
6
What Not To Wear TV presenter Susannah Constantine partied with Elton John and Mick Jagger and dated Princess Margaret’s son Viscount Linley. Her memoir, Ready For Absolutely Nothing, also charts her battle with alcoholism. She says: “My life has been a bit like Forrest Gump’s. I was always the girl at the back of the room, but witness to some amazing situations.”
7
International gymnast-turnedsports presenter Gabby Logan began writing memoir The First Half in lockdown. She recollects how her 15-year-old brother Daniel died while he was playing football with their father.
8
This Is Going
To Hurt writer Adam Kay’s hilarious and heartbreaking diaries of his time as a junior doctor, were adapted for TV starring Ben Whishaw. He offers more cutting humour and humbling stories in his follow-up memoir Undoctored. The hilarious anecdotes include revelations about a sperm bank, the passing of a painful bladder stone and how he rid himself of a social media stalker.
9
Spice Girl Mel C is the last of the group to publish her autobiography. Who I Am: My Story follows the journey from her bedroom in north-west England to global stardom with the group, as she recalls playing at Wembley, conquering the Brit awards and closing the Olympics.
10
Richard E Grant praises King Charles in his memoir A Pocketful Of Happiness. The actor, who is an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust, says Charles arranged to visit his wife Joan Washington before she died from lung cancer last year. Richard and Joan were together for 38 years and Richard says the memoir details the “love story of my life”.