Amanda de Cadenet on hosting The Word and being in the tabloids at 15 years old

Podcaster, business-owner and true multi-hyphenate Amanda de Cadenet talks to Kate about how a chance encounter in a pub lead to her presenting The Word at 15 years old, and the viciousness of the UK tabloids in the years that followed.

White Wine Question Time with Kate Thornton is the podcast that brings together well-known guests to answer three thought-provoking questions over three glasses of wine. Discover the friendships behind the entertainment headlines, and listen in on their conversations for a side to the celebrities you've never heard before. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and follow on Instagram (@whitewineqt) & Twitter (@WhiteWineQT) to keep up to date with the latest guests, news and more.

Video transcript

AMANDA DE CADANET: I was trying to get a job. No one would hire me, because I was 15 and maybe I was not really skilled at doing anything. And I met a guy in a pub who said, oh you should go for this audition for this TV show. And he gave me a scrap of paper with a phone number on it, and I called. And it was whoever it was, and they said, oh yeah, show up at this time at this place, and I did and then I got that job.

So it was very odd because I went from being a schoolgirl to within six months being on The Word. And it was a very unusual and bizarre situation to be in for a 15-year-old that had just come out of a children's home, very odd. And took me years to integrate that experience.

KATE THORNTON: Because at that time, as well, the show created so many headlines, because it was there, it was designed to provoke, right?

AMANDA DE CADANET: Not much has changed, actually. The way that the British press speaks about women, the way that the British press bullies people, the impact of tabloid media on women who become famous for whatever reason is extremely detrimental. And I cannot believe that it's 2022 and that there is no parameters in place to protect people. For me, I left the UK, not because I didn't want to live in the UK, but because of the viciousness of tabloid media there. And I think had I have stayed in the UK, I don't know that I'd be alive today. I think it was very, very damaging for my mental health. I know it was, and that's why I had to leave.