http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/del-potro-moves-within-striking-range-of-murray-1823930.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/del-potro-moves-within-striking-range-of-murray-1823930.html ]]> <p>If Juan Martin del Potro fails to reach the final of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at London's O2 Arena a week on Sunday it will at least give him a chance to catch up with friends. The 21-year-old Argentine is on good terms with many of his country's leading footballers and it will not have escaped his attention that Liverpool, the club of Javier Mascherano and Emiliano Insua, meet Everton that day.</p> Tennis Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/dan-carter-it-looks-like-jonny-is-back-to-his-best-1823932.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/dan-carter-it-looks-like-jonny-is-back-to-his-best-1823932.html ]]> <p>The All Blacks have spent the last few years shedding their image as the unsmiling giants of world rugby: a reputation bought and paid for in hard currency by the mean-eyed monsters of old – utterly ruthless types like Wayne Shelford and, before him, Colin Meads, of whom the expensively educated old-school England lock David Marques once famously said: "You know, the thing one most dislikes about that chap is the way the terminal traces of one's jockstrap hang from the corners of his mouth at the end of a game."</p> International Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/herman-van-rompuy-profile-belgiums-diffident-haiku-poet-steps-from-the-shadows-1824102.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/herman-van-rompuy-profile-belgiums-diffident-haiku-poet-steps-from-the-shadows-1824102.html <p> Belgian parliamentarians cheered and applauded their departing Prime Minister as he headed off to be anointed in his new role. Wearing a loose-fitting suit and a look of surprise tinged with |amusement, Herman van Rompuy cut a diminutive figure among his boisterous colleagues. </p> Profiles Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/baroness-ashton-profile-dearth-of-women-allows-dark-horse-to-win-1824101.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/baroness-ashton-profile-dearth-of-women-allows-dark-horse-to-win-1824101.html <p>Cathy Ashton has a lucky habit of being in the right place at the right time. The 53-year-old Labour peer rose quietly up the Government's ranks to join the Cabinet as Leader of the House of Lords even though she had a low profile in her own party.</p> Profiles Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/passedfailed-an-education-in-the-life-of-alastair-campbell-writer-strategist-and-former-press-secretary-to-tony-blair-1822856.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/passedfailed-an-education-in-the-life-of-alastair-campbell-writer-strategist-and-former-press-secretary-to-tony-blair-1822856.html ]]> <p> <b>Campbell, 52, was political editor of the Daily Mirror and associate editor of Today newspaper before becoming Tony Blair's press secretary in 1994. Last year his BBC2 documentary Cracking Up (now on alastaircampbell.org) chronicled his mental breakdown.The Blair Years and All in the Mind are out in paperback and his next novel is out in February. He is campaign strategist for "Climate Change Cops SOS", the npower scheme in which schools compete to produce the best environmental project (www.npower.com/climatecops).</b> </p> Profiles Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:59 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/ken-mcmeikan-meet-the-bakery-chain-chief-on-a-roll-1823142.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/ken-mcmeikan-meet-the-bakery-chain-chief-on-a-roll-1823142.html <p>Ken McMeikan, the chief executive of Greggs, served under some of the retail sector's most-respected leaders before he took the helm at the bakery chain in the summer of 2008. </p> Profiles Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/charles-kennedy-you-ask-the-questions-1821283.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/charles-kennedy-you-ask-the-questions-1821283.html ]]> <p> <b>Do you regret the circumstances in which you left the party leadership? Were you betrayed by Vince Cable? </b>Alexander O'Donoghue, Glamorgan </p> Profiles Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-lucy-cohu--anna-maxwell-martin-1818806.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-lucy-cohu--anna-maxwell-martin-1818806.html ]]> <p>Anna Maxwell Martin, 31, is an actress best known for TV roles in the 2005 BBC adaptation of 'Bleak House' and last year's Channel 4 adaptation of 'Poppy Shakespeare', both of which earned her the Best Actress award at the Baftas. Her theatre roles include Lyra in 'His Dark Materials' at the National and Sally Bowles in 'Cabaret'. She lives in north London</p> Profiles Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/tessa-sanderson-i-was-spat-on-and-called-golliwog-1820881.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/tessa-sanderson-i-was-spat-on-and-called-golliwog-1820881.html ]]> <p>It has always been a mystery why Tessa Sanderson has never been afforded greater recognition, not only for her athletic achievements – she was the first British black woman ever to win Olympic gold – but for what she continues to contribute to the nation's sporting heritage. Those who complain that retired sporting heroes rarely put anything back into the game should look no further than Newham, right in London's Olympic heartland, where the feisty-as-ever Sanderson is putting the same effort that saw her heave her way to the Olympic podium 25 years ago into helping ensure that London 2012 has a true legacy.</p> Olympics Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/romola-garai-an-actors-life-for-me-ndash-at-least-for-now-1820967.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/romola-garai-an-actors-life-for-me-ndash-at-least-for-now-1820967.html ]]> <p>It's not that Romola Garai collects top directors, but she has, at just 27, worked with more than seems a reasonable share of them, including Michael Apted, Kenneth Branagh, Woody Allen and Richard Eyre. The latest is Stephen Poliakoff, in whose hugely acclaimed film Glorious 39, about the run-up to the Second World War, she has a key role as the adopted daughter of an appeasement-supporting Tory politician (Bill Nighy). Her character plays witness to a section of Britain's comfortable upper middle class and its attempts to avoid war – and, as it happens, protect its own privilege – at all costs. </p> Profiles Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-heston-blumenthal-chef-43-1818761.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-heston-blumenthal-chef-43-1818761.html ]]> <p> <b>My parents were ... </b>eccentric. My mum's not shy in speaking her mind. My old man prefers an easy life – like me. Dad had a leasing company but retired over 15 years ago. Mum helped with the business and brought up me and my sister, Alexis. </p> Profiles Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/agustin-pichot-how-the-pumas-learnt-to-roar-1820458.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/agustin-pichot-how-the-pumas-learnt-to-roar-1820458.html ]]> <p>It happened three long years ago and the rugby world has moved on a fair distance since, but Agustin Pichot still shakes his head mournfully at the memory of it. "You know, they really hated us," he says, recalling the day he led Argentina to a first, life-changing victory over England at Twickenham, only to discover that certain members of his own national union would have preferred another defeat. "They called us mercenaries because we were playing professional club rugby and turned their backs on us. After the game, they did not even come to the dressing room to congratulate us. It was a very low point. Maybe the lowest."</p> International Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/simon-cowell-idol-rich-1820378.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/simon-cowell-idol-rich-1820378.html ]]> <p>Simon Cowell has always had his eye on the stars, from the time when, as a boy, he would peek over the garden fence in Hertfordshire at the movie industry parties that took place next door, attended by the likes of Liz Taylor, Richard Burton and Bette Davis.</p> Profiles Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/dwight-yorke-southgate-got-a-huge-break-ndash-why-didnt-i-1819802.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/dwight-yorke-southgate-got-a-huge-break-ndash-why-didnt-i-1819802.html ]]> <p> Five years ago this month, Blackburn Rovers supporter Jason Perryman was banned from every football stadium in England and Wales, for five years. The crime for which his punishment is almost up was to make monkey chants and gestures at Dwight Yorke, as the footballer, then with Birmingham City but previously a Rovers player, warmed up on the touchline at Ewood Park. </p> News & Comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/passedfailed-an-education-in-the-life-of-allegra-mcevedy-chef-writer-broadcaster-and-restaurateur-1818634.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/passedfailed-an-education-in-the-life-of-allegra-mcevedy-chef-writer-broadcaster-and-restaurateur-1818634.html ]]> <p> <b>Allegra McEvedy MBE, 38, was one of the presenters of BBC2's Economy Gastronomy and is co-author of the book of the series. She is also a co-founder of the nine award-winning Leon restaurants. She will be speaking at the National Everywoman Conference on 18 November at the Hotel Russell, London (www.everywoman.com).</b> </p> Profiles Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/james-smith-we-need-a-worldwide-carbon-trade-1818976.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/james-smith-we-need-a-worldwide-carbon-trade-1818976.html <p>As one of the original "Seven Sisters" international oil giants, Royal Dutch Shell might seem a strange candidate for a front-row seat at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen in a few weeks' time. But James Smith, the company's UK chairman and a standard bearer for corporate environmentalism, sees no contradiction between big oil and a green future.</p> Profiles Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/steve-mcclaren-i-survived-ultimate-failure-now-i-fear-nothing-1818905.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/steve-mcclaren-i-survived-ultimate-failure-now-i-fear-nothing-1818905.html ]]> <p>On Sunday at the Grolsch Veste stadium in the eastern Netherlands the name of Steve McClaren was sung – as it at most home games – by the supporters of FC Twente, who know little and care even less about his past as England manager. All they cared about on Sunday was that their team had beaten Martin Jol's Ajax Amsterdam.</p> News & Comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/parent-power-sara-payne-on-being-an-ordinary-mother-in-whitehall-1818835.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/parent-power-sara-payne-on-being-an-ordinary-mother-in-whitehall-1818835.html ]]> <p>She was an ordinary mother, but her child's shocking death gave her a national platform – and the power to make a Prime Minister sit up, listen and respond to what she was saying.</p> Profiles Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/near-death-experiences-caught-on-film-1818057.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/near-death-experiences-caught-on-film-1818057.html ]]> <p> Ever had one of those heart stopping moments when you come so close to death that your life flashes before your eyes? </p> <p></p> <p></p> Profiles Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:54:21 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/big-think-richard-dawkins-on-morality-in-a-world-without-faith-1818008.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/big-think-richard-dawkins-on-morality-in-a-world-without-faith-1818008.html <p> What would the world be like without faith? Many religious figures argue that it would become morally bankrupt. Richard Dawkins, world-famous evolutionary biologist and noted public champion of atheism, disagrees. </p> Profiles Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:58:52 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/hugh-hefner-bunny-guy-1817699.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/hugh-hefner-bunny-guy-1817699.html ]]> <p>There wasn't a moment in my childhood when I dreamt of being a princess. Nor did I sit and daydream about the day I would walk down the aisle in a meringue with the man of my dreams. I didn't want to be a beauty queen or a ballerina. What I wanted to be when I grew up, more than anything, was a Bunny Girl.</p> Profiles Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/dr-liam-fox-you-ask-the-questions-1817287.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/dr-liam-fox-you-ask-the-questions-1817287.html ]]> Profiles Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-aidan-mcardle--olivia-colman-1814717.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-aidan-mcardle--olivia-colman-1814717.html ]]> <p> <b>Aidan McArdle, 38, is an actor best known for his role as Dudley Moore in the Bafta-nominated TV biopic 'Not Only But Also'. He has also starred in the BBC's most recent adaptation of 'Jane Eyre' and the award-winning comedy 'Beautiful People'. He lives in London with his wife, the actress Aislin McGuckin, and their daughter</b> </p> Profiles Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/hero-or-villain-egon-krenz-1816846.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/hero-or-villain-egon-krenz-1816846.html <p>Egon Krenz rose through the ranks of the East German communist party, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, like gas in a stagnant pond. His ascent was so smooth, so inexorable, that it seemed less a matter of politics than of the laws of physics. Up and up he passed from its inert depths until, in 1989, he reached the top. At the age of 52, the tailor's son from Pomerania became master of the German Democratic Republic (DDR). But by then, the country didn't want one. It wanted freedom – from the party, its restrictions, especially, from people like him.</p> Profiles Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/francesca-martinez-a-wobbly-girls-battle-against-the-last-taboo-1816861.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/francesca-martinez-a-wobbly-girls-battle-against-the-last-taboo-1816861.html ]]> <p>Francesca Martinez's victim is squirming. Trapped under the scrutiny of the comedian and fellow members of the audience at her show in Edinburgh, he is clearly wishing for the proverbial hole to open up. "What are you bad at?" asks Martinez. "Football," comes the sheepish reply. "Were you born like that?" she enquires, head tilted in sympathy, "Couldn't your mum have had a test when she was pregnant?" Turning to the man's girlfriend, she simpers: "You are so brave. Well done... Does it mean he can't have sex?"</p> Profiles Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/stuart-broad-ashes-hero-and-allround-good-bloke-1816941.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/stuart-broad-ashes-hero-and-allround-good-bloke-1816941.html ]]> <p>Stuart Broad knew what happened last summer would change his life, and events over the past few weeks have shown him to be spot-on. If being recognised in the street more often than before – and being invited to appear on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross – were not proof enough of a higher profile post-Ashes, attracting the attention of Shane Warne surely clinches the deal.</p> Cricket Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/nicky-darling-deborah-ross-pins-down-nicky-haslam-britains-busiest-social-butterfly-1814675.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/nicky-darling-deborah-ross-pins-down-nicky-haslam-britains-busiest-social-butterfly-1814675.html ]]> <p>When I first call Nicky Haslam, the interior designer and fervent man-about-town, to arrange a meeting he says: "Shall we do dinner at The Wolseley?" "Yes, please," I say, "great." He then calls back and says: "I've booked, dinner at nine." "Great," I repeat, even though what I'm actually thinking is: nine? Nine? Heavens to Betsy, who on earth has dinner at nine? Seriously, this is my first thought. This is how old and boring and fusty and stay-at-home and washed-up I am. Heavens to Betsy, I even say "Heavens to Betsy" which no-one in their right mind says anymore. But nine? Who does go to dinner at nine? Only young people, I initially suppose, and Nicky Haslam, who is 70, but works so tirelessly at being young that it would be unspeakably cruel to exclude him. </p> Profiles Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/michael-haneke-bleak-house-1816596.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/michael-haneke-bleak-house-1816596.html ]]> <p>For a film director who demands quite so much of his audience, and even more uncompromisingly of himself, it has taken the Austrian director Michael Haneke a long time (20 years to be precise) to gain the Palme d'Or at Cannes, that quintessential approbation of the art-house auteur. But then maybe, like Martin Scorsese's long wait for an Oscar, it isn't so surprising. Haneke is a director who challenges but he does not satisfy; his ever so precisely organised films grip you with their remorseless catalogue of pain only to leave you unrelieved at the end either by resolution or even explanation.</p> Profiles Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-skin-singer-42-1814690.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-skin-singer-42-1814690.html <p> <b>My parents were ... </b>fun-loving, very strict, very Jamaican. My dad was in the Air Force and then worked on oil rigs. My mum was a nurse before she took a position in local government, working in the environmental department. </p> Profiles Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/lawrence-dallaglio-england-have-had-no-strategy-since-we-won-the-world-cup-1815575.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/lawrence-dallaglio-england-have-had-no-strategy-since-we-won-the-world-cup-1815575.html ]]> <p>Lawrence Dallaglio ambles out of the room, checking the messages on his mobile phone. A couple of minutes later he returns. "About all that England stuff..." he says and then pauses. This zealous communicator, a happy chewer of the fat, for once does not have the words immediately to hand. "I'm a patriot," he states after a moment, and shrugs. "All I want is to see England doing well."</p> International Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/infamous-hecklesand-some-ruffled-responses-1815365.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/infamous-hecklesand-some-ruffled-responses-1815365.html ]]> <p> Hecklers. Those gloriously irreverant types who like the sound of their own voices so much that that they feel everyone should listen to them. </p> <p></p> <p></p> Profiles Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:53:10 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/passedfailed-an-education-in-the-life-of-cherie-blair-qc-1814592.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/passedfailed-an-education-in-the-life-of-cherie-blair-qc-1814592.html ]]> <p> <b>Cherie Blair, 55, Queen's Counsel, part-time judge and co-founder of the radical Matrix Chambers. She is the wife of Tony Blair and daughter of the actor Tony Booth. Her autobiography, Speaking For Myself, is out now in paperback. Next Thursday she will present one of the Women of the Future awards at London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square.</b> </p> Profiles Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jack-dee-the-bbcrsquos-populism-is-no-joke-1814131.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jack-dee-the-bbcrsquos-populism-is-no-joke-1814131.html ]]> <p>Dee. That's dee for dour, or dee as in dry and deadpan and, yes, droll. But not dee for dresser. "The snappiest dresser in comedy," Esquire magazine once said of Jack Dee, which is to entirely miss the point behind his act. </p> Profiles Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/charles-clarke-you-ask-the-questions-1813210.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/charles-clarke-you-ask-the-questions-1813210.html ]]> Profiles Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-duncan-macmillan--jamie-cullum-1811035.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-duncan-macmillan--jamie-cullum-1811035.html ]]> <p> <b>Duncan Macmillan, 29, is a playwright and director. His play Monster won two Bruntwood Awards at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, where he went on to be writer-in-residence. In 2008 he was Pearson Playwright at Paines Plough theatre company in London, and his work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. He lives in south London</b> </p> Profiles Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/the-boy-in-the-corner-why-is-will-young-in-therapy-1811049.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/the-boy-in-the-corner-why-is-will-young-in-therapy-1811049.html ]]> <p> There are certain things that strike you when you meet someone famous. In the flesh they are, invariably, fatter, thinner, taller, shorter, uglier, prettier than they look on telly. Will Young? Much, much fatter. So huge, in fact, that it's impossible not to do a double-take as he emerges from behind a rail of clothes in his dressing-room.</p> Profiles Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/ryan-giggs-a-humble-genius-the-man-who-is-the-very-heart-of-united-1812841.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/ryan-giggs-a-humble-genius-the-man-who-is-the-very-heart-of-united-1812841.html ]]> <p>When Manchester United completed their historic treble in 1999, it was Ryan Giggs's miscued shot in the Champions' League final that set up Teddy Sheringham for the dramatic saving equaliser. When Sir Alex Ferguson kicked a stray boot across the Old Trafford dressing room in a fury, drawing blood from David Beckham's face, it was Giggs standing rather anxiously next to his friend, then helping to drag him away from the manager. When Rio Ferdinand missed his drugs test, who else was chosen to provide a specimen and could have saved a lot of trouble – and saved the League title from slipping away that season, he believes – by reminding his team-mate of their appointment? It is not only since moving into centre midfield that Giggs has been at the heart of United's footballing fortunes and everything connected with them.</p> Premier League Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/tricky-ive-found-my-calling-its-helping-the-youth-1812779.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/tricky-ive-found-my-calling-its-helping-the-youth-1812779.html ]]> <p>For much of the past year, Tricky has been in Paris exercising a little philanthropy. Sitting in the living room of his city-centre apartment on a bright October afternoon, and inhaling deeply on the kind of cigarette one doesn't find in the local newsagent, he nevertheless cuts quite a different figure to the trip-hop maverick whose 1995 album Maxinquaye is frequently hailed as one of the decade's best (it's re-released this month). In fact, he can't keep the zeal from his voice.</p> Profiles Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-alice-cooper-singer-61-1810970.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-alice-cooper-singer-61-1810970.html ]]> <p> <b>My parents were ... </b>the best. They totally understood what I was doing with the whole Alice Cooper thing, even when I started at the age of 16. They understood my humour. </p> Profiles Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-week-suzy-gale-1812302.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-week-suzy-gale-1812302.html <p> <b>Monday</b> </p> <p> I'm the office manager for my husband Roger Gale, Conservative MP for Thanet North, so I drive 15 minutes to the office in Birchington between 6.30 and 7am. </p> Profiles Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/king-of-new-york-michael-bloomberg-1812297.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/king-of-new-york-michael-bloomberg-1812297.html ]]> <p>The slight fellow a few seats to my left had a marooned, almost woebegone look about him, hunched up against the cold in long coat and knitted ear-warmers. As a new president was being sworn under a January blue sky before us, all manner of private thoughts may have been burrowing in his brain like, "I should be at the Bermuda house improving my swing right now" or "That could have been me up there".</p> Profiles Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/first-person-i-am-a-modernday-witch-1810972.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/first-person-i-am-a-modernday-witch-1810972.html ]]> <p> I was raised a Catholic, but had a variety of spiritual influences as a child. My grandmother was a follower of "Theosophy" and my father was into UFO spotting, so I was always aware of other belief systems. For many years, I didn't have my own faith. I didn't feel that Catholicism was the right spiritual path for me, as it is too male-dominated, and I couldn't find a more appealing alternative. </p> Profiles Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/david-haye-im-not-looking-forward-to-all-that-matted-body-hair-and-sweat-1811533.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/david-haye-im-not-looking-forward-to-all-that-matted-body-hair-and-sweat-1811533.html ]]> <p>David Haye has wanted to become world heavyweight boxing champion since he was seven years old, living in an 18th-floor council flat in Bermondsey, south-east London. A week tomorrow in Nuremberg, south-east Germany, he finally gets a shot at a version of the title. Standing squarely between the 29-year-old and the realisation of his long-cherished ambition, however, will be the WBA champion, Russian giant Nikolai Valuev, 7ft 2in and 23st of solid, hairy and, according to Haye, not particularly sweet-smelling flesh.</p> Profiles Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/passedfailed-an-education-in-the-life-of-phill-jupitus-1810841.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/passedfailed-an-education-in-the-life-of-phill-jupitus-1810841.html ]]> <p> <b>Phill Jupitus, 47, is a regular on BBC2 pop quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks. He played the first record on BBC 6Music and is a frequent guest on BBC1's QI and The News Quiz on Radio 4. This week he joined the cast of the musical Hairspray at Shaftesbury Theatre, London.</b> </p> Profiles Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/simon-calver-the-next-big-thing-in-movies-1811060.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/simon-calver-the-next-big-thing-in-movies-1811060.html <p>North Acton is an unlikely outpost for Hollywood. Yet in a West London business park, in headquarters filled with film memorabilia, Lovefilm is plotting its rise. A life-sized model of Indiana Jones cracks his whip next to the reception desk, while Kung Fu Panda aims a kick at visitors. The walls are plastered with stills and quotes from iconic movies from The Godfather to Jaws. The office is a vibrant reflection of an online DVD rental company that has leapt from 100,000 subscribers to more than a million in four years – one that hopes to more than double its customer base by 2014 and is set to launch an online service direct to television screens. </p> Profiles Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/jamie-oliver-takes-on-americas-fastfood-culture-1810361.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/jamie-oliver-takes-on-americas-fastfood-culture-1810361.html ]]> <p>On his first day in Huntington, West Virginia, Jamie Oliver spent the afternoon at Hillbilly Hot Dogs, pitching in to cook its signature 15lb burger. That's 10lb of meat, 5lb of custom-made bun, American cheese, tomatoes, onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard and mayo. Then he learned how to perfect the Home Wrecker, the establishment's famous 15in, 1lb hot dog (boil first, then grill in butter). For the Home Wrecker Challenge, the dog gets 11 toppings, including chilli sauce, jalapeños, liquid nacho cheese and coleslaw. Finish it in 12 minutes or less and you get a T-shirt. </p> Features Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/talent-show-contestants-that-are-so-bad-theyre-good-1810331.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/talent-show-contestants-that-are-so-bad-theyre-good-1810331.html ]]> <p> Hang on, someone said talent shows like X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent are designed to find talent. Well, actually it seems they’re designed simply to entertain and that much of the British public is prepared to vote for their favourites on the basis of laughability rather than skill. </p> Profiles Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:39:12 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/theresa-may-you-ask-the-questions-1809451.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/theresa-may-you-ask-the-questions-1809451.html ]]> <p><b>Since 1997 everything has been taxed, including employment, effectively at 12.5% through employer's national insurance contributions. How will your party, when elected, address this problem and reduce unemployment and from where will you replace revenue lost from any reduction in the direct and indirect tax on employment? </b></p> Profiles Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-bob-flowerdew--trevor-baylis-1807367.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-bob-flowerdew--trevor-baylis-1807367.html ]]> Profiles Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/frankie-boyle-fierce-fearless-and-expletive-deleted-funny-1808992.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/frankie-boyle-fierce-fearless-and-expletive-deleted-funny-1808992.html ]]> <p>Frankie Boyle doesn't give a flying... If you're familiar with the angry Glaswegian comedian best known for his fierce rants on BBC's satirical current affairs show Mock the Week, feel free to add your own expletive. But he wants you to know that he doesn't give one: not about his career; the human race or the controversy over his comments about the young Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington. In fact, the only thing he admits to caring about at all is his young family.</p> Profiles Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/novak-djokovic-the-man-who-met-his-match-with-murray-1809033.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/novak-djokovic-the-man-who-met-his-match-with-murray-1809033.html ]]> <p>Given that they were born just a week apart, perhaps it should be no surprise that Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have matched each other rung for rung in their climb up the tennis ladder. Long-term rivals from their junior days, they earned their first senior ranking points within a fortnight of each other in 2003, broke into the world's top 100 within three months of one another in 2005 and reached the top 10 within one month of each other two years ago.</p> Tennis Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-giles-deacon-fashion-designer-39-1807343.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-giles-deacon-fashion-designer-39-1807343.html ]]> <p> <b>My parents were ... </b>and always have been incredibly supportive of what I do. I'm very lucky. </p> Profiles Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/claudia-schiffer-its-only-on-a-shoot-that-i-become-sexy-1807355.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/claudia-schiffer-its-only-on-a-shoot-that-i-become-sexy-1807355.html ]]> <p>in an age where airbrushing rules supreme, we no longer expect celebrities to actually look like their magazine or screen images. It comes as a strangely reassuring sort of surprise then, when Claudia Schiffer looks, well, just like Claudia Schiffer. For a start, she is so tall that tilting my head to look upwards at her face feels like staring up at one of her billboards. Then there is her skin: taut, unlined, and as creamy and pale as a panna cotta. Her cheekbones are arched and cat-like, her eyes a bright ice-blue. Her long, thick blonde hair is straight out of a Timotei advert – it's the kind of thick, shiny mane that men want to tousle, and schoolgirls want to plait.</p> Profiles Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-week-wayne-hemingway-1808434.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-week-wayne-hemingway-1808434.html <p> <b>Monday</b> </p> <p> I'm working on a project called Vintage at Goodwood, which is the biggest start-up we've done since Red or Dead. It's a music, fashion and lifestyle-led celebration of creative British cool. </p> Profiles Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/in-her-life-sam-taylorwood-1808429.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/in-her-life-sam-taylorwood-1808429.html ]]> <p>Sam Taylor-Wood says her earliest memory is of dancing naked on her grandmother's table singing "Sugar, Sugar", aged about five. It's an image that could be considered the first work by the artist, now 42, whose whole life has turned out to be something of an extended performance piece.</p> Profiles Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/sir-jackie-stewart-unstoppable-scot-puts-his-foot-down-1807444.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/sir-jackie-stewart-unstoppable-scot-puts-his-foot-down-1807444.html ]]> <p><i>HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, Royal Hashemite Kingdom, Amman, Jordan</i></p> Profiles Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100