My Celebrity Boyfriend

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My Celebrity Boyfriend, Installation
Richard Armitage, My Celebrity Boyfriend outtake
Lennie James, My Celebrity Boyfriend
Nick Miles, My Celebrity Boyfriend
Matthew Rhys, My Celebrity Boyfriend
Kris Marshall, My Celebrity Boyfriend
Don Gilet, My Celebrity Boyfriend
Julian Rhind-Tutt
Alexander Siddig, My Celebrity Boyfriend
Martin Freeman, My Celebrity Boyfriend

In 2007, Bloomsbury published My Celebrity Boyfriend, a collection of photographs of me and famous men pretending to be my boyfriend.

It came about due to a dare, a part-time photography diploma, my knack with children’s shoes and a lot of good luck.

Over the course of four years, I went on film sets, TV sets and theatre sets, on boats, balconies and carousels, I found myself in beds, in bushes, in cars, stalking, being ignored, being kissed, cuddled, wined, dined, nude, laughing, in a dressing gown, in bondage gear and dressed as the heroine of the 1934 film, L’Atalante.

And when it was published, I went on to be a twit on radio, in print and on Richard and Judy. But despite all that, the book was very well received. Except by this man writing to the Guardian:

Letter in the Guardian

So here are my top tips for surviving being a photographed as a Celebrity Girlfriend:

  1. Always wear a vest (see Alexander Siddig and Johnny Vegas)
  2. Be cool. Pretend that you are shaking because you’ve just drunk a triple espresso, not because you’re meeting someone you really admire professionally (see Iain Glen). Or had a crush on at sixth form (see Jamie Theakston)
  3. Be open-minded. If they want to wear a mask, let them wear a mask (see Rhys Ifans)
  4. Try not to break their boat (see Stephen Moyer)

I wrote various bits and pieces about the project at the time, they’re now on my blog – just click on the My Celebrity Boyfriend category in the footer. There’s a couple of outtakes in the gallery too. And the book is still in print, should you wish to see what I got up to for yourself…