rivers2cross

A very happy birthday to the wonderful Gail Porter who turns 50 today.

I can still remember how when I first approached Gail way back in 2014 to be in a fundraising book I was writing supporting bowel cancer, and she came back saying yes within seconds. I immediately knew that she was one of life’s good ones.

We first met at Winter Wonderland in December 2014, and for those of you who bought Lives & Times you will know exactly what happened. I think I have just about recovered 😂 We stayed in touch and Gail also kindly agreed to take part in the next bowel cancer charity book, The Record, which came out four years later in 2019. This time our meeting was a little more calm, as we had a coffee in one of her favourite places in Soho. Once again I found her to be very engaging, really funny, and just a genuinely lovely down to earth person.

I am very grateful to Gail for all her support over the last few years, especially when she reached out to me after mum died in 2016. We seem to meet up every four years so I think we have another couple of years to go until the next time…

Her amazing and very brave and moving documentary about mental health, Being Gail Porter, is an absolute must watch if you get the change to catch up with it. I was inspired so much by it and it played no small part in me beginning to face up to some of my own issues at the start of 2020.

Gail’s a lovely lady and I hope she has a terrific day x