Home is…
East London. I grew up in south London, near Brixton, then moved to Belgravia. So my accent fluctuates depending on how much I’ve had to drink. It’s either Little Lord Fauntleroy (above) or proper south London geezer. The difference between those is probably about three drinks.
Bus, taxi or Tube?
To get into town, of a night, you can’t beat the Tube: so fast. But I love a London bus. One of my modelling campaigns was on the side of a bus, the 55, so it went all the way from west to east London. As a Londoner, I don’t think you can have a prouder moment than being on the side of a bus!
Last play you saw?
The Inheritance at the Noël Coward Theatre. It’s all about the Aids epidemic. It’s the most moving play I’ve ever seen. It was in two parts, seven hours long, but you didn’t want it to finish. By the end, everyone in the theatre was hugging each other and crying. It’s life-changing.
Favourite pub?
The Albion in Islington. Beautiful interior, huge beer garden. Great food, great people. It’s absolutely stunning, like something out of a film.
Where do you work out?
I just did an insane body transformation programme at Roar Fitness. Sarah who runs it is an Olympian, and it’s completely hardcore. Half the fashion industry go there, so it’s very good for a bit of celeb spotting, which distracts you from the searing agony. The first time I went, I had to try not to be sick on myself in front of some of the most famous designers in London.
Where would you like to be buried?
I don’t care where I’m buried. I’d like to be cremated and then have my ashes sprinkled somewhere funny, like the salad cart at a Harvester.
Where would you recommend for a first date?
Definitely somewhere dark: that’s my main thing. Andrew Edmunds in Soho is brilliant for that. It’s tucked away, it’s candlelit, it’s romantic and intimate. It’s one of those secret little London restaurants that makes you look very cool for knowing about.
Best meal you’ve had?
A surprise lunch at the Towpath Café in Hackney. My friend Laura Jackson runs it. It’s on the canal and all my friends surprised me for my birthday. I think I had, like, polenta (above) and some kind of amazing sausage.
What are you up to at the moment?
Really excitingly, I’ve just signed a book deal for The Queer Bible, based on the website. I’m asking my heroes to write about their queer heroes, and each essay is going to be accompanied by an illustration by a young LGBTQ+ artist.
Best thing a cabbie has ever said to you?
Once after I’d had a few drinks and my accent had flipped, a cabbie started asking me about where I grew up. I said my dad was a vicar in south London in the 1980s. He stopped the cab and told me my dad had mentored him when he was a tearaway 12-year-old. That my dad had saved his life. This burly cabbie was nearly crying, I was nearly crying and we had this amazing moment.
