Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Self-made fashion entrepreneur who co-founded Skims and Good American with Kim and Chloe Kardashian, and appears on Shark Tank and Dragon's Den.
On the island
Eight records
I am obsessed with Diana Ross. I thought she was so beautiful. There weren't that many black women on the TV. And so to me, I was like, oh, when I am a big girl, like, I'm going to look like Diana Ross. I'm going to have those sparkly outfits. I'm going to like move like that. But this song, particularly, you know, there's a part in the song where it's just spoken. And the words are so beautiful. And I used to imagine that somebody was speaking them to me.
me and my sister sung this on a home video when we were very little. Like I must have been nine or ten or something like that, all in these perfect white dresses. But it's so much, you know, those songs in the late 80s, early 90s, they all had this like beautiful narrative, like they were telling you a story. And this, it's a beautiful, sad, depressing story in a song that for some reason my 10-year-old self really felt all four of you should perform.
banger try not to dance when you hear this song and I have such memories because clubbing was such a part of our lives like the club was like church peak club scene as well and we were going out to me it was like a magical time no phones right so you just you would dance until your clothes went like see-through and this song for me like just sums it all up and also the intro was really good because there's like an extended version so like if you couldn't find your mates you'd be going around in the intro being like where's she at and you'd gather all your mates and then you'd get to the dance ones to bring everyone together and then like it would drop and it would just be like stop it it was so good this song to me this song is like the best thing ever
I used this in my wedding, which was just such an amazing. I wish I could just go and get married again, actually, as I think about this. But it is just the most beautiful piece of music. And I'm a little bit of a frustrated, non-instrument-playing person. And so, in my head, when I'm listening to this, it's me on the piano, which is like I have zero musical talent whatsoever, so it's not possible. But that's how I imagine it. And I just think it is the most beautiful thing. And I use this like in meditations, and I think about my wedding day, and I just love it.
Tupac and Warren G. And it was like, to me, in my life, was like the birth of the West Coast rap scene. And this song has been in my life, like ever since. It's Regulate Warren G. And Warren G had such a beautiful face. I just loved him. I just like, I literally loved him so much. I still love him.
Stand By MeFavourite
this song is so soothing to me because it's like a lullaby for adults. Like, I feel like somebody is like rubbing my head and telling me it's going to be all right. When this music comes in and the strings come in, like, you could cry. I could cry even thinking about it. It is Stand By Me, Benny King, and I think it is.
As an English girl that grew up when I grew up, Oasis was just it. I could have chosen so, so many people... This song, I just love this song so much.
Hometown Glory (High Contrast Remix)
I am obsessed with Adele. I love her so much... I'm a humongous fan. But this particular version of the song is like so me because it's Adele, but it's like a drum and bass remix, which again, when I was a kid, that scene of sort of like jungle, house, garage, like those unmistakably British music was like such a massive part of my upbringing. And of course, I chose Hometown Glory because I'm in my hometown.
In conversation
Presenter asks
1:43What does a typical day look like for you at this point in your career?
Oh, good lord, what a place to start. It looks exhausting, to be perfectly honest. You know, I still go into the office every single day, five days a week. And, you know, I'm a mum of four. And so in the morning, like, my day starts early. If I'm going to get any semblance of like a minute alone, that has to start at like 5 a.m. And then the chaos ensues. And honestly, like, it goes like that for the rest of the day, if I'm honest. No one comes to me when everything's working out. You know, it's like my day is a series of problems. Okay. And when everything's perfect, no one says anything. But the minute there's a problem, it's my problem.
Presenter asks
3:39You call yourself an ambitious little monster. Is that drive still as strong as it ever was within you?
You know, when you're from East London, it's gritty and you feel like I'm bought on this earth and I'm going to work. I came out of the womb, like leaning in, bite things off, tear it up. And I don't think that's going anywhere. It's not like with success that I've become complacent. I'm almost like, wow, there's so much in the world and there's so much stuff to do. And there's so many, honestly, like there's so many problems. And so in a way, I just think, oh, like, if not me, then who?
Presenter asks
The keepsakes
The book
Kahlil Gibran
it was given to me by my uncle's girlfriend who, you know, she was just the most beautiful thing... she looked like Bridget Bardot... she was really hippie... it was just really formative for me because I never heard some of the ideas that were presented in that book. The one that I think about now is when he writes on children, like your children are not your children, they're the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself.
The luxury
a high-quality mattress with an infinite supply of clean, pressed white sheets
I have a little confession to make on this one. So, my darling friend Christopher Aspinall, who is exceptionally excited for me to be on this show because he listens to every single episode. His luxury item was so good. I'm nicking it. His was slightly different, so I'm just building on it. His was a mattress, and what I really want is the mattress and clean sheets as like one. Like beautiful, you know, high-thread count, Egyptian cotton, white. Pressed, don't give me any out the tumble dryer. I want them like sharp. Do you know what I mean? Like clarities, fresh, like pressed sheets. Can I have like as many as I want? Yeah, you can. So I just want like an infinite supply of clean sheets and a mattress of very high quality.
You described yourself as a parentified child. What kind of things did you have to do for your little sisters and at what ages?
I mean, first of all, you know, so much of it was a plus. I could make a full roast dinner for six people by the time I was 12. Like, no one was like, mind the pots and pans. Like, you know, use an oven glove. It was like just expected of me. So I used to get up in the morning, I'd make three pack lunches, I'd iron three school shirts, we'd get off to school. I'm like 10, 11, 12. Blinding. Like, do you know what I mean? But again, I never saw it as an imposition. You were just helping your mum.
Presenter asks
9:20Your mum and dad split when you were five. How much contact did you have with your dad?
Not a sausage. And you know, depending who you ask, they'll have a different story. My dad was like, I was always trying to see you. Mum's like, he didn't give it, you know, he wasn't around. At the end of the day, you know, I go, it was what it was. And I have an amazing relationship with my dad now, but that didn't really establish itself until I was in my late teens.
Presenter asks
18:31Why did you drop out of London College of Fashion?
I just couldn't make the money work, you know. I had to get in the club, I had to like buy champagne, you know, all the things. I do remember doing the sort of mental mathematics, going, all right, how much am I going to make if I do this college course and then have to go into a job versus how much am I going to make if I leave now? And I was like, same thing. I'm still going to have to start at the bottom. And I was like, let's just shortcut it, go in now, just start working.
Presenter asks
30:30How easy was it for you to decide that it was the right time to start a family?
It's something that I talk about a lot actually because you know the idea of when to start a family or if to start a family as the case might be for so many people is something that really plagues women. Like I feel like I spent my entire 20s just trying not to get pregnant and then when I had my third and fourth kid I was like it's not even my choice. Like number one and two I had like literally you know like so easily like the dream scenario decided to get pregnant was pregnant. When it came to the third and fourth kid I really really struggled and you know had issues with infertility and it's so heartbreaking when you go through that but the decision for me was easy because I had a really supportive partner. Like Jens is Swedish and Swedish men are the whole society like Sweden is a really matriarchal society and there was never this thing of like I'm gonna have a baby. It was like we and our family have made a decision to have children and I always knew that I was gonna have a real partner in that. The day I had Gray, I'd never even been more ambitious.
“I thought she was so beautiful. There weren't that many black women on the TV. And so to me, I was like, oh, when I am a big girl, like, I'm going to look like Diana Ross. I'm going to have those sparkly outfits. I'm going to like move like that.”
“I didn't experience it as pressure, so I won't say it's pressure. There was just a lot of responsibility on me at a very young age. And so you grow up really quickly.”
“Not a sausage. And you know, depending who you ask, they'll have a different story. My dad was like, I was always trying to see you. Mum's like, he didn't give it, you know, he wasn't around. At the end of the day, you know, I go, it was what it was.”
“clubbing was such a part of our lives like the club was like church peak club scene as well and we were going out to me it was like a magical time no phones right so you just you would dance until your clothes went like see-through and you didn't give a and you know what we didn't even care about what we wore there was no like it was completely free and easy and unabandoned like fun and this song for me like just sums it all up”
“I have a little confession to make on this one. So, my darling friend Christopher Aspinall, who is exceptionally excited for me to be on this show because he listens to every single episode. His luxury item was so good. I'm nicking it. His was slightly different, so I'm just building on it. His was a mattress, and what I really want is the mattress and clean sheets as like one. Like beautiful, you know, high-thread count, Egyptian cotton, white. Pressed, don't give me any out the tumble dryer. I want them like sharp. Do you know what I mean? Like clarities, fresh, like pressed sheets. Can I have like as many as I want? Yeah, you can. So I just want like an infinite supply of clean sheets and a mattress of very high quality.”