19 Things You Didn’t Know About Cathy Kelly

 

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My favourite flowers are peonies because they’re so exquisite and yet so fleeting. They’re mindfulness in motion.

My earliest memory is aged three, watching my parents try to stuff a giant cuddly panda bear in the back of the family mini for the Christmas trip to my grandmother’s. It was, wonderfully, a surprise when Santa delivered it. 

My family, including my dogs, are my most treasured possessions. You can replace stuff but not people.

I’m a UNICEF Ireland Goodwill Ambassador and this year, we’re highlighting the fact that the Syrian War has been going on for ten years. Six million Syrian children have been born since the war began and 12,000 children have been killed or seriously injured.

My favourite album is David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. I discovered Bowie when I was fifteen and still adore his music. 

 

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My style icons are The Olsen twins. They look like 21st-century little vampire queens, which is a look I am fond of.

I last binged Schitt’s Creek. It’s hilarious – Moira Rose is my favourite. 

My best holiday was a trip in my twenties to Turkey where myself and friends went to every ancient site we could. And you can dance – I came second in the belly dancing contest. But it may have been a pity vote…

I have three adorable Jack Russell sisters who have princess tendencies: Dinky, Licky and Scamp.

 

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I always order an oat flat white unless I am really comatose and then, I get a double shot with a hint of oat and a blast of sugar.

As a child, I was Catherine, which I felt was really boring and did my best to be called Ekaterina, which is the non-Cyrillic Russian version, but nobody bit. So I became Cathy.

My hopes for 2021 are to see my family who live in the UK and to get to hug people again. I’m a hugger. Non-hugging and not being able to smile through the mask is very hard.

My death row meal would be sushi and a pardon from the governor. Failing that, some Linda Hamilton from the Terminator muscles so I could escape!

 

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Aged sixteen, I failed to get hired as a waitress for the summer because I was too young so instead did child minding and house cleaning.

I always have sunblock in my bag – I had the deadly version of skin cancer when I was thirty, so I like to keep myself covered up. I was so lucky to find it and I really watch my skin now.

I love summer because I’m a cold person, but August and September, which are not precisely any season, are delicious. There’s something golden in the air and you can get away with madder clothes.

 

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My favourite perfume is Byredo’s Oud Immortel. I think it is the sexiest scent.

I like to think my career highlight is ahead of me! I am one of those people who like to travel hopefully.

I am always looking at my watch and finding it’s 11:11. Does that mean my lucky number is four? Which means I should be having four chocolate digestive instead of two.

Cathy Kelly’s new book ‘Other Women’ is out now. 

• 19 Things
• Cathy Kelly