THEGAYUK

Author: Jake Hook

  • INTERVIEW: Steve Miller… Bears Are Sexy But Lets Put A Prick In Them…

    INTERVIEW: Steve Miller… Bears Are Sexy But Let’s Put A Prick In Them…

    His programme Fat Families has been sold to over 14 countries world-wide, even Israel he tells us. He lives with his accountant boyfriend of 18-years and their dog Ned. He despises fat, but loves the person, a bit like hate the sin, love the sinner and, as a former fattie – his words not mine, Steve Miller does not mince his words when he gets on his soapbox.
    We meet Steve to find out why he believes weight loss hypnotherapy is the number one treatment to help people with obesity and just how butch he can be with his dog.

    JH: Where are you now?
    SM: Well I’ve been around…
    I spent a lot of time up North; I lived in Manchester, Huddersfield and Leeds. I was a Red Coat at Skegness for Butlins. Those were the days mate, I’m telling you.

    JH: Were you a compère?
    SM: Well, I did two things, I worked on the reception and I was a Red Coat. It was great. That’s were I found myself. I had my first gay moment in Skegness.

    JH: What was the gay moment?
    SM: The gay moment was when one moment I’m dancing to Bananarama and the next minute I’m passing this guy’s chalet, who I’ve got this most amazing crush on, and because I’ve had a few (drinks), I enter the room and we start talking and then I had my first kiss ever, with a man.

    JH: Oooo, that’s given us chills…
    SM: You never forget it…

    JH: Did you sing while you were a Red Coat at Butlins?
    SM: I was the kind of meet and greet guy…

    JH: A bit of a door whore?
    SM: I suppose I was…

    (laughs)

    JH: You describe yourself as a former fattie Is that right?
    SM: Yes, I lost four stone, so it’s not like tonnes of weight but I put weight on in my thirties and it really affected me. It affected my confidence, my self-esteem. I was just a lazy slob really. There was no psychology behind it, I was just bloody lazy really. I was in a relationship and it was comfortable and all those sorts of things. So I would rather sit or lie on the couch ordering take away in and drinking lots of wine. I lost my confidence, because, often gay guys look really great and I didn’t. I looked pretty awful. There came a point where one day I looked in the mirror and I thought, “get off your arse and lose weight.” That was it. And I did.

    JH: Was your boyfriend supportive of your weight loss?
    SM: Very. But at my weight I didn’t feel attractive, I didn’t feel sexy, I mean SEX, God blimey, who’d want to touch me looking like that…

    JH: Is sex better when you’re thin?
    SM: Oh absolutely without a doubt. Because you’re not so self aware. You’re not so concerned or worried or anxious. You’re willing to get changed with the lights on rather than the lights off. It’s not about being stick thin, it’s about being slim. It’s not about having muscles everywhere either. I know some gay guys tone up at the gym and do that muscle thing. I’m not into that at all, it’s just about having a reasonable slim shape. Your confidence in the bedroom shoots up! Without a doubt.

    There comes a point where you can’t feel sorry for yourself, you have to take action and I’m quite a strong minded individual, and that’s why, when I looked in the mirror, I said, “get off your fat arse”, I did it and I got my first book deal, based on that, which was called Get Off Your Arse And Lose Weight.

    You’ve got to be in the right mind state. Mind state doesn’t mean all nicey nice all the time, although it’s important to have positive motivation, it’s also about cracking the whip on yourself. So you’re saying to yourself “actually no excuses, get on with it”.

    Think about how gorgeous and attractive you’re going to look and the clothes in the wardrobe that you’ll make friends with again. You do have to be quite firm as well with yourself. I’m a real advocate of that.

    With clients that I work with, I’m supportive, I have fun with them. I have Champagne parties with them, but during the process of losing weight they are told to get a grip. They are told they will do what we agree and there are no excuses. But I also use hypnosis with them as well…

    JH: So a bit of tough love from Steve Miller?
    SM: Yes! I think gay guys, especially if they’re working with women, are in a great position to do that.

    JH: What is the best way to tell your partner that he’s getting a little bit poggie around the waist? It’s difficult to say to the ones we love…
    SM: I think you’re empathically direct with them, I don’t think you faff about. What you do is put your arm around them when you tell them. You say to your partner, “of course, I love you no matter what you are, who you are,” and all that sort of stuff… “but you know what, you’re putting a bit of weight on and I am concerned about your health.” So it all becomes about their health, it’s all about letting them know that they are gorgeous, because they are your partner, but being fat is not a good thing. So it is about how you do it. It’s also about agreeing what you will do together.

    JH: Is that quite a healthy way of keeping a relationship together?
    SM: I think that if you do it right and you do it with the right tonality, then it’s absolutely fine. What you don’t do is tease your partner; what you don’t do is call them names.
    What you do is be supportive and loving. If you ignore it, potentially, your partner, there was a report out today on it, can get diabetes, that could lead to amputation, heart disease, stroke and now they link obesity to cancer. So you’re being cruel to be kind. It’s not very politically correct to be honest (to be) open and direct with people. I think the opposite. To me it’s just logical. I’d much rather do that than let my partner have a heart attack.

    JH: A similar line as Katie Hopkins on the matter… both you and Ms. Hopkins have been in that firestorm that can happen if you say anything against larger people, what’s that like?
    SM: I have it a lot, but you’d be surprised at how many people say, “too right Steve, you’re absolutely right and spot on.”
    You have to have a thick skin. I’ve always said this, if you genuinely believe in what your message is, that’s okay. You grow a thick skin. You do get your haters, but you know what, you’re going to get them anyway. People, at the end of the day, know that I get results. I’ve had some incredible results helping people. If it makes me unpopular to get the message out there so be it.
    (dog starts to bark uncontrollably)
    (Off phone) Ned… lie down…

    (back on phone) Sorry about that I’m being butch with the dog. (Laughs)

    (Off phone) LIE DOWN, that’s it. Good boy…

    JH: Out of curiosity, people who criticise your message, are they fat people themselves or are they skinny minnies?
    SM: It’s mixed actually and it’s a great question. It’s very mixed, however quite a few are feminists, quite a few are slim – skinny feminists! With every client I work with I say to them, “what is it you want from me?” If they want tea and tissues, hearts and flowers, they ain’t gonna get it, that isn’t the Steve Miller style, but most say to me, “this is refreshing.”
    I had a lady who came to see me about a year ago and she sat and she said, “if I was single Steve, who would look at me,” and I said, “very few, very few.”

    JH: How did she react?
    SM: Well she’s lost 12 stone.

    JH: Wow, that’s amazing
    SM: Oh yes, she’s lost 12 stone, she was 24 stone. What people don’t realise, no one loves a fat person like Steve Miller does.

    JH: Ahhhh!
    SM: Do you like that?

    JH: I do like that…
    SM: There’s a method in my madness, and I love what I do. I love working with fat women, give me a fat woman any day.

    JH: Okay, so the Gok Wans, the Doctor Christians, the Steve Millers… Why are there so many gay men helping fat women on TV?
    SM: I think there’s a natural empathy, I think we’re all very different. Gok Wan’s message is that, if you’re really fat you can still look gorgeous. Well I don’t agree with that. I don’t think you do look gorgeous if you’re really fat. I think that fat hides the true features of somebody. Every human being is gorgeous, except the criminals, (laughs), but when it comes to physical being, I do not endorse [anybody being happy and fat] at all, I do not endorse that because of the dangers, the true dangers of it. The reality is, if you are too fat, your natural features are being hidden, that’s why with all this plus size brigade, I get a lot of jip off them sometimes. They can be very abusive, incredibly abusive, but to put that message out that no matter how fat you are you can still look gorgeous, they call it curves, curves actually mean fat, it’s just not a good message. What sort of message is that?

    JH: We have had an influx of Plus size models in women, but not in men, do you find that interesting?
    SM: It’s something I’ve never really thought about…

    JH: I suppose in the gay community we’re already championing the larger man with bears… It’s all about appreciating the larger man, so we’re quite advanced in the accepting of different body size and different body shapes…
    SM: We may well be, but even with a bear, if it’s just a big belly, I’d be saying, “isn’t it time we stuck a prick in it?”

    (laughs)

    There’s nothing wrong with a bear, they can be very, very attractive and very sexy, but not a big balloon one. A bear doesn’t want to be a butterball. Let’s have fit bears. Fit bears rock, but fat ones don’t, they need a prick in them.

    JH: Quite… I’ve gotta talk about your look a little bit… it’s very Anne Robinson, which I’m totally a fan of, is she a personal icon?
    SM: (Laughs) Never really thought about it to be honest. But Anne Robinson is a lot older than me! I might not look like Brad Pitt, but I do alright.

    JH: Is there any more plans for TV?
    SM: There’s always plans, the media is a funny old world, I love it. Fat Families was an incredible success than I ever imagined it would be. Kids adored it, they liked the fun element and it’s now in 14 countries. It went very big in Italy, it did okay in Australia, it even went into Israel. It was a hit and it was my first TV gig.

    JH: Is it hard to keep the weight off as a ‘former fattie?’
    SM: Yeah, I think weight loss is all about your mind-set and your motivation. It’s not about a diet, it’s not about a rigid diet, I just do not advocate those at all, I live 80-20, so I eat 80 per cent healthily and 20 per cent a bit of what I fancy. I still have my nights out, I still go on the gay scene and stuff, so I’ll drink and eat the crap sometimes, but, it is a challenge for people, but so long as you build a new routine in your life, and you discipline yourself and stick to that routine you can keep the weight off. I’m the first one to say, it’s not easy, easy, it is a challenge of the head and motivation, but if you’re loving being slim and you’re hating being fat and you’ve got that drive within you and you’ve built that new routine in your life, then you can keep it off. It’s all about mind over platter!

    JH: So what is on your platter now?
    SM: My platter is, in the morning, fruit, lunch time is a wholemeal ham and tomato sarnie, with an apple, then dinner is always something like: fresh fish and vegetables, I love veg, but then I always have something like a chocolate pudding.

    JH: So actually what you’re advocating is an achievable diet…
    SM: Yes, what people need to stop doing is obsessing with food, and what’s good for you and what’s bad for you. It’s about mind-set and motivation, the food is common sense. If you are bored too much you’re going to eat more, so occupy your mind more, if you’re in a relationship that is not good for you, yes try and make it work, but if not, take action. If that means moving on, move on. Surround yourself with radiators not drains. It’s a bit cheesy. But surround yourself with people who inspire you rather than the drains. If you’re surrounded by people who are negative, all you want to do is put your head in a gas oven.

    JH: Do you sit down of an evening and write these quotes down?
    SM: You know what, having left school with very little, I do alright with this literacy stuff.

    Follow Steve on Twitter at

    twitter.com/Steve___Miller
    Also check out his website at yourweightlossmaster.com

    This interview was taken from Issue 14. Please support THEGAYUK by subscribing today

  • In Conversation With: Rebecca Chance, A Heady Mix Of RuPaul Meets Joan Rivers

    We’re in an exclusive London eatery, Rebecca Chance and I sit down for a natter about why gay porn turns the girls on, and that was just after one Rosé. Yes it’s just an average Tuesday night chez Chance.

    As we start, she drags out her camera and asks me to pose for a selfie, naturally I Zoolander the hell out of the picture… “Even that’s turning me on,” she laughs, “that’s not suppose to happen is it!”

    (more…)

  • TRAVEL GUIDE | Feel The (gay) Love In Slovenia

    The verdant rolling hills, the typical southern European countryside, mountainous vistas that even Maria would be satisfied with, a jewel-like coast and buzzing city centre with street side coffee bars and nic-nacky marketplaces. Slovenia is a country teeming with history and it is dying to share it with you.

    It has to be said my knowledge of Slovenia is as fully fledged as my understanding of the offside rule – next to zero. In fact, when asked, I racked my brain to my 12-year-old self to the history lessons we were made to endure and all my frazzled brain could make out was three words: Yugoslavia, the colour grey and political unrest. When I shared my thoughts to the head of tourism over dinner, her face fell, ‘We certainly have our work cut out for us then’ she sighed, but spend just a few days in Slovenia and the country sells itself.

    Slovenia, for those of you not in the know, is a small central/southern European country, nestled in between the Alps, the Pannonia Plain and the Mediterranean. It borders with Austria, Italy, Hungary and Croatia.

    One of Slovenia’s biggest assets is its people. Friendly, accepting and warm. Almost every sentence begins with ‘Of course…‘ and with such a positive affirmation, you realise that the people here are longing for you to have an excellent time.It might not be the most obvious of European getaways, but Slovenia is a gem, a relatively unknown paradise for those who love city breaks, spas, skiing, Nordic walking and Riviera living.

    THEGAYUK were invited to celebrate the inaugural PinkWeek, the brainchild of Mattej and Matej, real life and business partners who founded luxuryslovenia.eu, and who now hope to bring LGBT tourists to Slovenia to enjoy its rich heritage, hospitality and gay life.

    Our hosts ensured that every moment of our stay was filled with sensory delights from the moment we arrived at Slovenia’s laid back main, international airport in Ljubljana. We were met and driven through the picturesque countryside to Otočec Castle Hotel, a sublime, five-star hotel, situated on an islet in the middle of the Krika River. Stunningly peaceful and mesmerisingly beautiful. The service was incredible, whilst the culinary experience was outstanding, catering for even the most discerning tastes. As you stand in the history rich courtyard of the hotel you take a moment to enjoy the serenity of the surroundings; the gentle rushing of the river in the distance and melodic song of birds that inhabit the small island.

    A special mention here of the many spa options open to you whilst staying in Slovenia, which is famous for its live-well establishments. Close to the hotel is the Terme Krka Spa, which you have the full use of. Here you will find world-class health treatments and fitness experts, which promise to have you feeling leaner, healthier and more youthful than you’ve felt in a long time with its extensive slimming and detox programmes. Again, you will revel in the sheer luxury of the culinary delights that await you, should you wish to take full advantage of the programmes.

     

    Although small, Slovenia packs an interesting excursion, with something for everyone. Whether you love rock climbing (the Alps), caving (Postojna Caves), skiing, boating (Lake Bled, above) or just lazing in the Mediterranean sunshine it’s all here.
    The climate is wonderful. During the summer months, the weather is sunny and warm. The average temperature being in the high 20s throughout the summery months. Winters can be harsh and freezing, but the locals inform me that December is known as ‘Happy Month’, with thousands of people taking to the city centre streets for all manner of fairs and celebrations.

    If you manage to get to the coast (Slovenia has around 60kms of coastline) you should stay at the incredible Kempinski Palace in Portorož. While one-half the hotel retains its old fashioned, colonial feel, with wonderfully appointed rooms and public spaces, it also offers a newer, fresher building, which blends seamlessly, to create a world-class hotel, with, it has to be said a stunning breakfast – and stunning sea views.

    Take a coastline stroll to the next town Piran (below), to experience a quaint and patchwork seaside town, with all the charm and rustic beauty that you’ll expect from any southern European country, perhaps picking up a little sea-salt souvenir, one of Slovenia’s many exports. It has to be said that dining so close to the sea, that food is best served straight from the ocean. You should visit the Fritolin fish restaurant, which is famously popular with the locals, after take in a chilled by-the-sea drink at Paprika.

    As the week progresses, the gayness of Pinkweek starts and our first introduction was cocktails at the Park Hotel in Ljubljana, where we were treated to a special drag show with Mataina and Casper, whose dulcet tones managed to attract children playing in the local park who soon joined the drag act on stage, dancing along. I’ve never seen a sight like it as one excessively excited girl was thrown into the air by a drag queen, miming to Kylie. So laid back are the locals, that not one parent batted an eye, as the two queens cavorted and put on a mid-afternoon show in the afternoon Slovenian sun.
    The next day we had the honour of visiting Lake Bled, one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places on earth. Located in a natural basin, surrounded by mountain reaches, Lake Bled’s azure waters lap gently onto the shore. We were greeted on one of the jetties with a glass of bubbles and canapés, whilst we looked out, our tired eyes were revitalised by the sun and glittering jewel-like ripples in the water. Later we took a boat trip across to the monastery on the small island in the middle of the lake. There is a bell tower and it is said that if you ring the bell three times, your wishes will come true.
    In terms of a gay scene, Slovenia’s is intimate but incredibly friendly. The two main haunts are Tiffany, which is to be found in the middle of a teeming and crowded complex of bars and clubs, catering for every type of person. There is also the bigger more dance oriented Klub K4, which is popular with the LGBT community on a Saturday night.

    The scene is laid back, with an ‘anything’ goes attitude.

    Later that evening we were treated to Champagne and cocktail at the AS Apertivo Restaurant, whilst the Eurovision semi-finals played in the background.

    Whilst in Ljubljana, we stayed at the boutique and centrally positioned Cubo Hotel, which as the name suggests provided compelling design concepts, with tight lines and cube features. It also had wifi included and interestingly complimentary mini-bar, yes you read that right.

    Ljubljana is a beautiful bustling city, with a population of around 200,000 and with that you get a feel of small town living. Friendly faces, excellent café culture and if you get a moment, do go to a local karaoke bar to get the real feel of the Slovenes letting their hair down. We went with two drag queens and nobody blinked an eye – and that’s Slovenia all over. It seems everybody is happy to let everybody else just get on with it. If you are looking for more culture and history, you won’t be left bored. There is a world class Opera house, open air concert and theatre spaces and museums to while away the hours, filling your mind with Slovenia’s rich and varied history. It’s easy to forget that this country was once in the grip of a communist government and that Slovenia now, is still creating its own exciting identity. However step into any government building and the reminiscence of that bygone time can still be felt – and it’s fascinating.

    If you’re feeling a little jaded after a night on the town, (take note that wine and beer is cheap), a cable car ride and brisk mountain walk (accompanied by the sexiest accordion player, you’re ever likely to find) up the Velika Planina will invigorate the senses and clear the head. Take a moment to enjoy the awe-inspiring vista and breath in the cooler, fresher air.

    Learn about the incredible herdsmen and their historic significance and listen to the story of the Trnič cheese. Famous for its likeness to breasts, which were given by the herdsmen to the girl they wanted to marry. You’ll never look at cheese in the same way again.

    The week’s trip climaxed with an extravagant event inLjubljana Castle (above), which was decorated and lit atmospherically for the evening’s festivities, which coincided with the Eurovision finals, which played on a giant screen. Three internationally renowned chefs provided mouth watering food for the assembled elite, whilst the Slovenia Army Big Band serenaded the crowd. Guests of honour included the Ljubljana mayor who during his speech, informed the crowd that he could not wait for the first same-sex couples to be legally wedded in the historic building.

    For more information please visit pinkweek.eu. Find more LGBT-friendly places to visit here.

  • LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: More than the sum of our parts

    This month, I happened to be invited to a sit down pasta/policy night with a well-known community leader. Around the table I was joined by five colleagues from the LGBT media.

    Yes, we are all individual and no we don’t all like Madonna, musicals or muscles, but there has to be something more than just the love of a certain type of genitalia that unites gay people. What about shared experience? Surely there’s a common understanding of what it feels to feel slightly out of the ‘norm’. We will never be the ‘norm’ just from a statistical point of view, we’ll always be a minority, doesn’t that imply a certain unity?

    Or what about the fear of coming out. Show me someone who has never feared coming out to anyone, and I’ll show you a liar.

    Haven’t we all watched a Hollywood movie with the perfectly presented heteronormative narrative and thought – “wow this does not apply to me in any shape or form?”

    But being gay does go deeper than willies and vaginas. Isn’t it about who we want to fall in love with? Isn’t love greater than that? Isn’t it about with whom we see ourselves growing old with? Isn’t it deeper than the sum of our parts?

    I find comfort in being and feeling part of something. A collective. A unified voice. That’s why pride parades can feel so incredible. All those voices – an incredibly powerful voice with an incredibly powerful message.

    We need to be a clear and strong community, to ensure our voices are still heard and that they continue to be heard. We may have almost legal equality, but there’s still a fight for acceptance and societal equality to be had.

    Enjoy the issue and as always please don’t forget to let us know what you think and rate us on Android and iTunes.

    Feel free to leave your comments below.

  • 6 Manly But Sweet And Spicy Fragrances You Need In Your Life

    A turn of a season hails the call for new fragrances. We want fresh, spicy and sweet, because we’re like that.

    For a totally fresh vibe try 1) Spiced Lime by St. Kitts Herbery | 50ml | £7.95.

    Rihanna’s offering, 2) MAN, to the male market is a sexy, smouldering evening fragrance | 100ml | £45.

    The fresh and zingy limited edition 3) 212 from Caroline Herrera | 100ml | £21.99 from Fragrance Direct.

    4) Twisted Soul Blue makes an interesting edition to any man’s aftershave haul | 100ml | £9.99 from Blue Inc.

    5) Homme by Laurelle Parfums makes an impression at a reasonable price. 100ml £4.99 from Fragrance Direct.

    The classic, sweet 6) Polo Sport makes a splash back 75ml £25.95 from Fragrance Direct.

  • Chat With AI: What Do You Think About Gay Icons?

    We were dying to know what AI thought of gay icons. Something makes us think the programmers never envisaged a chat about Judy Garland, Cilla Black and Joan Collins.

    And here’s what happened over at cleverbot.com.

    TGUK: Do you know what a gay icon is?
    CB: Yes, I know what a gun is.
    TGUK: A gun, what has that to do with gay icons?

    CB: I am sometimes lacking self esteem.
    TGUK: Do you think you’re a gay icon?

    CB: Of course not. Did you get that from the word blue?
    TGUK: No… what about Judy Garland, is she a gay icon?

    CB: Is he the one who’s in charge of Apple?
    TGUK: I believe he was actually a she…

    CB: What was 9?
    TGUK: … Okay what about Joan Collins or Cilla Black are they gay icons?

    CB: It’s the best band in the world.
    TGUK: We love a bit of Cilla, it has to be said.

    CB: Are you the bit of software?
    TGUK: Okay, well you must know who Alan Turing is…

    CB: How do you know of Alan Turing?
    TGUK: He was a gay icon, who changed the world.

    CB: The world is always changing.

    Deep every deep.

    This interview was taken from Issue 14.

  • BOOK REVIEW | Expose

    Exposé is a triumph for first-time novelist Paul Ilett.

    Welcome to the world of news media, particularly the murky world of the tabloid: celebrity reporting, the relentless stalking of VIPS, undermining of governments and exposing political hypocrisy are all just a part of a another hum-drum day at the office activity.

    This is a world where the saucy details of personalities, peers and people of note are exposed for the world’s entertainment. Sometimes you don’t even have to be famous to get your unwelcome share of the limelight.

    Paul Ilett’s brand new book Exposé whips and slams newsprint media with a savvy, electric and clever exposé of the shady world of selling tomorrow’s fish and chip paper. With the Leveson enquiry still biting the industry, and the crash of the News Of The World still fresh in our memories, Exposé is a well timed reminder that all eyes are on the tabloids that trade in smut, in order to shift copies. We’ve been promised reform and self-regulation, but is that what we’re getting or is it just business as usual?

    The Daily Ear, thinly veiled for what reads like a real life title, is under attack when openly gay, hugely popular actor Adam Jaymes (think a British Jonathan Groff mixed with Matt Bomer), wages war against the infamous tabloid. He’s got a personal vendetta against the columnists, editors and owners of the rag – and he’s treating them to their own medicine, with a number of well-orchestrated, scandalous exposés of various members of the Daily Ear’s editorial team and the Harvey News Empire, the owners of the paper.

    Brilliantly observed (the author is a former journalist), and devilishly demanding, Ilett’s debut is a f**king riot, can’t-pit-it-downer, that the huge media empires should be worried about.

     

    BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON

  • REVIEW: Hypoxi, How I Lost Inches Of My Body and Half A Stone In Weight

    Low slung jeans and vest tops, that’s all I’m rocking this summer and it’s all because of a wetsuit, some piping and a lot of science. Okay, it’s a lot more complicated than that…

    The before and after….

    When the press release about Hypoxi hit my inbox my cynical journo brain kicked in. What was presented seemed yet another weight loss system that promised the world but probably would deliver nothing, but with celebrity fans such as Victoria Beckham and Katie Price and a wealth of science and research committed to the system, who am I to ignore the call of snake hips? So off I popped into their South Woodford branch where the ultra friendly Sylwia and her team greeted me.

    Essentially, you step into a suit, take a 30-minute walk and lose weight without trying. Sounds too good to be true, but within just 6 sessions I could tell it was working.

    I have to say as you’re squeezed into the neoprene patented Hypoxi suit and step on to the treadmill that weight loss is the furthest thing from your mind. My first thought was ‘okay, where is the camera?’ I felt I was going to turn up on Candid Camera or You’ve Been Framed, but when the suit is hooked up to the vacuum system, your thoughts turn from Candid Camera to Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, as around 125 compression cups suck and massage at your abdomen, lower stomach and love handles – all those problematic areas which tend to be the most difficult areas to shift fat from.

    It’s not that unpleasant, but it’s certainly a strange feeling as you take a stroll at a leisurely pace on the treadmill hooked up to a machine that breathes life in and out of the vacusuit suit.

    The suit causes a vacuum to draw out the fatty acids from your body. It makes you sweat. A lot. There is relief as you’re peeled from the suit, looking a little sweaty, but the technicians at Hypoxi have seen it all before and you can take a shower on site if you need.

    After the session you may be left with red marks over your body – this is completely normal Sylwia tells me and shows where the compression cups have massaged your body. The therapy, created and developed by Dr. Egger in Austria, promises to combat cellulite and “stubborn fat deposits and poor connective tissue” resulting in a targeted body shaping experience.

    The next morning after my first session I woke to find I actually felt thinner. Could this actually be working?

    After six sessions I’m definitely thinner and my butt has all but disappeared, my Levis are now low slung. Bravo. At my sixth session weigh in I’ve lost weight.

    My halfway results show that my hip bones have made a welcome return and I have lost nearly half a stone and I’m told I’ve lost 13.5cms around my upper body.

    I’m hooked. Along with my normal health regime (with cheat days) I have managed to achieve something that months of normal gym visits would have accomplished but in under 3 weeks.

    It’s a little pricey, around £50 per session or around £500 for 12, but if you look around you can get a good deal and it’s well worth considering if you, like me, have tried and failed at losing those last few pounds or that pad of fat that just doesn’t seem to want to shift.

    Find out more at Http://www.hypoxiwls.co.uk or call 02089892700.

  • HOTEL REVIEW | Hilton Cardiff

    Stepping into the Hilton Cardiff is akin to stepping into bliss. Nothing is too much hassle for the attentive staff from Car parking to Concierge.

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  • INTERVIEW: Jersey Gets Its Own Pride, We Speak With Its Chair, Christian May

    Jersey’s Pride, which is to happen on the 12th September has a very dedicated Committee of twelve individuals (from across the LGBTQ spectrum) who are organising Pride, whilst still doing their day jobs!

    What led to you wanting to get the first Pride going?

    The idea for Pride, and the origins of Liberate in Jersey, grew organically out of a public march that took place in July 2014; when the members of our parliament (the States of Jersey) had refused to approve equal marriage legislation in Jersey (wanting more information first). The response to this was a powerful and positive public demonstration, when Islanders came together to give a message to the States that they supported LGBTQ rights and that they wanted equal marriage in the Island. The atmosphere that day was electric and hopeful; something we want to replicate in Pride.

     

    Is there a big LGBT community? And how is the acceptance of LGBT issues on the Islands?

    There was a strong (and reasonably large) LGBTQ community on the Island approximately 10 years ago, but this dissipated when the Island’s only gay nightclub, the Cosmopolitan, closed its doors.

    Since Liberate came into existence we have held regular social nights to bring the community back together, and these have been going from strength to strength. LGBTQ individuals don’t suffer much harassment or active discrimination on the Island, but at the same time sexuality is an issue not much discussed publicly.

    We want to ensure LGBTQ Islanders do not feel that they have to hide their sexuality in order to “fit-in” in work or social situations; that requires ongoing education and support.

     

    Are you hoping to get the council and authorities to back the pride, have you had any talks with them so far?

    We have delighted by the level of support for pride from the Government and the Parish (our town authority), as well as from local businesses, who are providing seed funding to get Pride up and running.

    There is a great desire to build Jersey’s tourism industry in the coming years with Event-led tourism, and we hope that Pride could become a central and ongoing feature of this plan!

     

    How many people are currently working towards putting the pride event on?

    We have a very dedicated Committee of twelve individuals (from across the LGBTQ spectrum) who are organising Pride, whilst still doing their day jobs!

    We are a very close group who luckily get on very well socially as well as when delegating tasks (you often need a drink after, or with, committee meetings). We are also being provided with plenty of offers of volunteer help – which will be essential to ensure the smooth running of Pride on 12 September.

  • INTERVIEW | Jeffrey Schwartz

    In the 1950s an exceptionally handsome young man was the biggest box office star at Warner Brothers Studio in Hollywood.

    This major heartthrob matinee idol, made over 40 films was also a very successful pop singer, his debut number one single, Young Love, was the genesis for Warner Brothers Records. He was one of the world’s most sought-after bachelors. He never married. He also had a secret that he tried to keep from his fans for decades, but in 2005 at the grand age of 73 he published his autobiography and finally came out of the closet. The man is Tab Hunter and in a new documentary on his life Tab Hunter Confidential we finally get to learn about the man behind the star and find out what a real charmer this former member of Hollywood royalty is all about.

    Tab was in London recently for the international premiere of the movie and before we met the man, we caught up with award-winning Director JEFFREY SCHWARTZ to ask what it was like telling the story of such a great gay icon.

    RWD: So why Tab Hunter?
    JS: I thought he was one of those people that never got his due. He was known as being the most beautiful man in the world but I really respected all the work that he put in to further himself as an artist and actor. It was after reading his memoir that gave me a real appreciation of the fact that he was part of the Hollywood star-making machine. They invented this persona for him, yet his private life was as different as could be. I wouldn’t say he was leading a double life, but he was living in a box at a time where he couldn’t really express who he really was as he was being controlled by the powerful Jack Warner and his studio. I felt that I really fell in love with him watching the films and reading his book and then interviewing him for my movie I Am Divine. I thought that this is a man who needs to be reinvigorated and reintroduced to the public. Also how many people can talk about being a product of a star-making machine from that period? We can’t talk to James Dean or Monty Clift or Rock Hudson but Tab is still with us and he can talk about these things. The fact that he came out the other side as a happy healthy survivor of it all is so very impressive and unusual and so I just wanted to tell his story.

    RWD: So far you have now made four documentaries on gay icons: two of who are dead and two alive. What’s the difference with the ones who are still living? Do you have to tread carefully and be more sensitive?
    JS: It’s very different to have a subject who is still alive. Jack Wrangler the iconic porn star was happily part of his film (Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon) and got to tell his entire story but he sadly passed away before we had its first screening so he wasn’t able to see the reaction to it. Divine obviously had been gone for 25 years by the time I made the film. Vito Russo (Vito) had gone, but Tab was around and was ready to tell his story and I got to ask him everything.

    RWD: Did you hold back at all?
    JS: No I didn’t, but the whole process was difficult for Tab because he is such a very private person. He does not think that it’s appropriate to talk about certain things because that’s how he was raised and that’s the culture he grew up in. It was a time when you just didn’t talk about your personal life.

    RWD: Tab says in the movie that he has never been as open about anything as he is with you. My question is, why you, and why now?
    JS: He wrote his memoir Tab Hunter Confidential about 10 years ago so he already had the trial by fire so to speak. We used the book as the general backbone of the film and so we could talk about everything that he had written about, but we also had to appreciate that the book actually marked the opening of the closet for Tab. He had never talked about being gay prior to that and it was very difficult for him to do so, but by the time I first sat down to interview with him he was slowly getting used to it.

    In the film he had to go back to talking about things that are difficult for him to discuss but I definitely did not hold back in my questions and sometimes you can even see his discomfort during the course of the film. We have to appreciate that even though we are in 2015, here is a man who had been trained from a very early age to keep certain things hidden, and I found it so touching that now at 83-years-old he is finally able to talk about these things.

    I think it is very healing, not just for him but for an entire generation of people who were of his time, and also for younger people to sort of take a look back at the time where people could not be open and see how far we have come in just a few decades. It was a completely different world in Tab’s day.

    RWD: Were there any restrictions because Allan Glaser, Tab’s partner of 30 years, was on board as a producer?
    JS: None at all, and in fact the film would not even exist without Allan. He was the one who pushed Tab to write the book, and when it came time to develop the documentary, Allan was the one who told Tab that he needed to do this, and without Allan’s encouragement, Tab would not have been so forthcoming. Allan was certainly wanting to have Tab to go further than he ever had before, and in fact there were some areas where I wanted Allan present and some interviews when I didn’t want him around. For example when we interviewed one of Tab’s ex-lovers I told Allan that I didn’t think he should be around for this one and there were also certain parts when Tab was talking about his relationship with Allan that I thought maybe he’d like to go into the other room.

    RWD: You portrayed Tab as a gay man who preferred to have a steady boyfriend, rather than one who slept around. Was he really that monogamous?
    JS: Even though he is not comfortable necessarily talking about having affairs, he did have them and wrote about them in the book. Rudolf Nureyev was just one of them. Within the periods when Tab was in a relationship he was a very old-fashioned guy, but he didn’t have a long-term boyfriend until he met Neal Norlag in the 1960s. He never defined his ‘relationship’ with ice skater Ronnie Robertson as them being boyfriends and he would never consider themselves a couple, and it was the same thing with his extended fling with Tony Perkins when they were seeing each other. It was all such a different mentality then.

    Allan is Tab’s longest relationship and has lasted decades and it’s sort of an aspirational kind of relationship, which everybody would love to be in. So yes, Tab certainly had his affairs but I would never call him a libertine.

    It’s funny that now so many people are coming out of the woodwork and I get emails and notes on our Facebook Fan page with people wanting to tell me a story about them and Tab. Like: “I was at a gay bar in Key West in 1973 and I saw Tab and we went home together!” Ninety-nine per cent of these stories are however total BS, but I am very entertained by them. First of all Tab would never go to a gay bar and I don’t think he has stepped inside one more than twice in his entire life. I think people like to imagine this fantasy and maybe it was somebody who looked like Tab, or maybe it was Troy Donohue, (the Studio eerily shaped him into a Tab lookalike replacement after he left) we just don’t know.

    RWD: For a man who was closeted for such a long time, Tab comes over as well balanced and sane and without the usual neuroses. Is that really the case?
    JS: Yes, but it took a long time. He was raised in an era when being gay was considered a mental illness and a disease and was against the law. You would never get any encouragement from any aspect of society at being gay. He was a victim of self-loathing that so many gay men and lesbians felt at that time. He was raised as a strict Catholic and when he tried to get some peace of mind about the feelings he was having, the priest that he confessed too rejected him, and he carried that with him for many years.

    For years he carried the feeling of being dysfunctional and in fact when he did come full circle to accept himself, part of the irony was how he was able to do that was through the Church and through his spirituality. He is a very devout Catholic but he found a way to reject the dogma of Catholicism and accept the Church’s teaching about love and self-acceptance. I find that fascinating because so many gay people have a knee-jerk reaction to religion because of the attitude of the Church towards homosexuality. Tab decided to ignore the condemnation part and although I wouldn’t say that he is now running down Santa Monica Boulevard with a rainbow flag or anything like that, but he does completely accept who he is.

    Tab was a major box office star for 10 years. When that part of his life ended he didn’t try to desperately hang on to the stardom, he just wanted to keep working. So many stars go a little cuckoo once their stardom fades and they dramatically try to hold on to the fame. Tab never did that because he didn’t buy into the whole movie star bit, so when it ended he was perfectly happy doing something else.

    RWD: Was he ever part of the old Hollywood ‘gay’ set like Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy?
    JS: He knew Rock Hudson certainly, and he knew Monty Clift, and he was very close to Roddy McDowell. These are men however who kept secrets even now and so if you would ask Tab: “Tell me about Roddy McDowell, tell me about the gay parties you went too…” he is still protective and will remain silent. Just the other day in Boston a journalist was trying to get some dirt on James Dean and he said to Tab: “Everyone thinks that Dean was gay or bisexual” and Tab just responded with: “I don’t know as I always saw him hanging out with Natalie Wood or Pier Angeli a lot.” Even if he knows he’s certainly not saying. He just doesn’t dish.

    RWD: He chose though to remain closeted and not have a double life by marrying a woman, was that because of his faith?
    JS: Tab is a very moral person. He did think about marriage and that would probably have made things a little bit easier for him, and the rumours would have stopped. However he chose not to go to that extra step like Rock Hudson or Antony Perkins. Rock was a good example of someone who was a big star with whom the rumours about his sexuality were getting out of hand, and so there was a decision made to dispel them once and for all. Tab also had the opportunity to do that and he could have gotten serious or even married any number of different women that he was close with. He decided however not too as it would be hurting the woman and it would be dishonest. That All-American boy, straight-up, honest image that he portrayed in the films is really him. He really was that guy, and I have so much respect for him because of that.

    RWD: The bulk of your movie deals with his discovery in the early days and then a great deal of his decline. Did he feel he got to fulfil his potential as an actor?
    JS: I think that when Tab started out he was laughed at. People looked at him as just a very pretty boy. If you look at those early films you will see that he was quite terrible, and he will readily admit to that. He wanted to be taken seriously so he made a conscious decision to work his ass off. He did serious theatre, and he had some wonderful acting coaches, and did some great work to prove himself. He made films like Gunman’s Wharf where he got to go against type, and he also did a wonderful TV Program called Portrait Of A Murderer where he played a very tormented man. I think once they happened he saw that Hollywood looked at him in a different way, and I think he would liked to have continued down that road.

    There were so many roles that he would loved to have played. When Midnight Cowboy was being made, he desperately wanted to play the lead role and actually tried to persuade John Schlesinger to give him the part. He also wanted to be cast in the movie version of West Side Story. When he looks back he would have liked to have done more, but when I talked to him about the past he always mentions Gunmen’s Wharf and That Kind of Woman he did with Sophia Loren. He was very happy in his work, and that’s all that matters to him now. He’s also so proud of the fact that he got to work with renowned directors like Sidney Lumet and John Frankenheimer.

    RWD: George Takei said that they made Tab take his shirt off in every single movie. Is that true or just wishful thinking on his part?
    JS: (Laughs) If we count the number of movies he was in I think we will find that in the majority of them he did do just that. We wanted to talk to people who had grown up watching Tab and everyone knows that the number of teenage girls who loved him was infinite, but of course all the gay boys were watching his movies just as much. Takei was one of those kids who were obviously deeply closeted as a very young person and buying the movie magazines and fantasising. The irony is that the man who created Tab’s ‘straight’ image was gay himself. Henry Wilson his agent also created Rock Hudson and he had his finger on the pulse of what people found attractive. Gay men are always at the forefront at putting forth a beauty and Tab is no exception. It takes a gay man to create God’s gift to women.

    RWD: If this film continues to receive such great reactions do you think that Tab would ever consider becoming an advocate for the gay community?
    JS: Tab would never ever want to consider himself an advocate or an activist in any way. Having said that, just by the very fact that he has lived his life the way he has, he is very much a role model. If you look at Tab now you will see how he has come out of all of this in a beautiful way but even though he happily identifies as gay, I still don’t know though how comfortable he is with the whole LGBT community as a concept. In fact I’m not sure that he had even said LGBT before in his life until he started this round of gay film festivals. When women come up to him and say: “You were my first crush!” he’s fine with that, but when men come to him and say the same, he still has a little discomfort even now.

    Interestingly enough for young people his look is so contemporary and although I think people are drawn in by the physicality, they all then, without exception, fall in love with his charm.

    RWD: One silly question, but what on earth was on (ex Hollywood star and now a nun) Dolores Hart’s head in the movie?
    JS: She has these pins on her Nun’s habit and one of them is from the Motion Picture Academy because she is still a voting member. She always wears it, as she is still very proud of her years that she spent in Hollywood as an actor. (There is another short film about her that I love called God Is The Bigger Elvis!) We had her in the film as she was one of the women that Tab went on dates with and did the photo layouts with, but she was also there to speak about Tab’s spiritual side and the fact that he was able to reconcile his faith with his sexuality. That is not often the kind of message you often hear from a nun, as she is so very accepting. I would love for people who are in the religious or the evangelical community to see this film because it might help bridge a gap of understanding.

    I’ve seen some comments on our Facebook page from fans that are only just now finding out that Tab is gay, and one woman said how very disappointed she was to discover this. These are the kind of people that I want to reach with this film because Tab, aside from his sexuality, is the very same boy next door that they always loved.

    RWD: What happens next for the movie?
    JS: We are booked in many Festivals and we will ultimately be picked up for distribution later this year. London was the most perfect venue for our international premiere.

    RWD: We Brits have always loved Tab here because his TV show The Tab Hunter Show, in the 1960s was an enormous smash here in London, even more so than in the US.
    JS: He’s very proud of that.

    RWD: What’s next for you?
    JS: I’m still figuring that out but I cannot seem to get away from gay icons. I’m developing a film about Allan Carr the producer of Grease and Cant Stop The Music who was a very colourful Hollywood figure. I’m also developing a sequel to The Celluloid Closet with Rob Epstein and Jeffrey because Vito Russo’s wonderful book ends in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The sequel starts with New Queer Cinema and brings us up to date. Actually this is the first time that I am talking about it publicly.

    P.S. Tab himself was also on this whirlwind tour in London to promote the movie and we managed to get a few words with the man himself about life then and life now.

    TAB: To answer your question regarding those Hollywood days of the 50s, and what it was like for a young leading man who was gay, I can only say that the studio and I never discussed it. One never talked about their sexuality openly. Being gay in those days was not only illegal; it was considered a mental illness. Everything was very hush-hush. When someone signed a contract with a studio, they also signed a morals clause and if they found out you were gay, they would terminate you.

    If word had gotten out about a star being gay, it would have killed their career. Studio heads protected the actors they were building. Contract players did as they were told. If they didn’t, they were out and someone else would take their place.

    RWD: What advice would you give young gay people coming out today?
    TAB: For young people coming to terms with their sexuality today, all I can say is, be true to yourself… Geraldine Page once told me… (The press loved her. They hated my guts.) She grabbed my arm and said, “If people don’t like you, that’s their bad taste.” I needed to hear that, and I’d like to pass that on to all of you. Just remember… If people don’t like you, that’s their bad taste.