Eating disorder is food for thought
One headline I certainly
did not expect to be reading over my Sunday morning cup of coffee
last weekend was 'John Prescott: My Bulimia Hell'.
In an extract from his forthcoming
biography, the former deputy PM revealed how he used to gorge
himself on tins of condensed milk and Marks & Spencer trifles
before forcing himself to be sick.
The news was certainly enough to put me,
and most of the nation I suspect, off my breakfast.
The overweight politician said he hoped his
unlikely revelation would help other men suffering from the
illness, which is more commonly associated with young women.
Perhaps it is brave of a person of
Prescott's stature to admit to such a problem but I'm
afraid it left a bad taste in my mouth.
The politician is the latest in a
long line of public figures who have bared their souls in return
for a nice fat cheque from their publisher.
Edwina Currie set the ball rolling
when she revealed her affair with John Major in her political
diaries published in 2002.
Pop singer Nicole Appleton revealed
she had aborted Robbie Williams' baby in her biography and
glamour model Jordan has made a career out
of putting her entire personal life on a plate for the public to
devour.
The reason is quite simple - without
sensational revelations, biographies will not sell!
As these "dark secrets"
become more and more sensational, I can't help but wonder how
far celebrities will go in the name of book sales.
Is it only a matter of time before
self-confessed lothario Russell Brand admits he's actually a
one woman man, Big Brother dimwit Jade Goody reveals she really has
a Phd in Astrophysics and Britney Spears confesses she is entirely
sane.
But what has left me truly bemused
is why a former deputy prime minister - whose career has seen him
punch a member of the public in the street while on an election
campaign; have a long-standing affair with his diary secretary and
act as referee between arch enemies Blair and Brown - feels the
need to "spin" his own life story.
I guess the habits of New Labour
simply die hard.
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