The one lesson I’ve learned from life
Radio presenter
FOrMEr model Kelly Brook, 39, currently presents a weekday show on Heart FM and lives in London and Kent with her actor boyfriend, 34-year-old Jeremy Parisi.
BE CAREFUL WHO YOU TRUST
I reALISe I was quite naive when I started out in this business. There have been moments in my life when I’ve been distracted, when I’ve strayed from my path. When I was on TV in the UK on The Big Breakfast, I didn’t realise some people were being nice to me as they thought it would help their careers.
In 2014, I moved to Los Angeles where I was cast in a sitcom called One Big happy. I’m a fan of self-help books so you can imagine that there was no shortage of reading matter in LA.
I’ll never forget something I read in one of them — it’s something I’ve always found helpful. It said: ‘Love many. Trust few. Always paddle your own canoe.’ Those words resonated with me because they reminded me to be a little cautious about the people in whom I place my trust.
I like to think I’m a loving and open person. But I tended to trust everybody. As I moved into my 30s, I came to realise that was a mistake. I’m particularly thinking of members of the opposite sex. I had a series of boyfriends who professed their undying love then cheated on me.
I was guilty of giving people the benefit of the doubt, so I wasn’t doing enough to protect my own interests. I hope I’ve always been kind, but you can forget to be kind to yourself.
Being too nice can rebound on you. Certainly, jealousy can play its part. I think people sometimes want what you’ve got.
I come from a normal, working-class background and was taught a proper set of values by my parents. It’s why my boyfriend Jeremy and I get on so well. he has a successful career but, like me, he values structure and a settled life.
We’ve got the most beautiful garden you could imagine, a lovely home life, fantastic jobs. I could be out at a party every night but those days are gone. I’m now at my happiest when I’m pottering about in my garden — and with five acres that means quite a lot of pottering! I’m paddling my canoe towards the sunset; that’s my goal now.
KELLY co-presents the drivetime show on Heart FM Monday to Friday, and Saturday’s breakfast show