PA PROFILE
What type of relationship do you have with your boss?
You have to be strong to deal with him. We complement each other because I am quieter than he is. He is a high achiever in everything and I am quietly confident about what I do. I tend to absorb what he says and does, and it can be tough but the key is remaining calm. He can say something that can be difficult or challenging but he never says anything unreasonable. We get on really well. My only problem is that I never
forget that I am doing my job so it’s hard to relax when your mind is full of the things you have to do when you’ve finished having a laugh. Having a laugh is all part and parcel of working with John though. There’s a photo of him in his autobiography I Am What I Am, where John has inflated a rubber glove over his head while dusting the bookstore office with a mini vacuum cleaner and that had us in complete hysterics.
Where do you work?
In various places. I spend most of my time in John’s house where he overlooks the sea near Cardiff. I also go to London with him a few times a week. Otherwise I’m in a trailer on a film set with him or at concert and theatre venues.
What does your typical day look like?
My biggest priority is to make sure that the loose ends are tied up and John is ready for the day ahead. He does- n’t want to know what’s happening in three weeks’ time, he wants to know what’s happening today. I keep an eye on his schedule and appointments. Today is an admin day so
I’m prepping receipts for his accountant. I’m also making sure that bills are paid and because he owns several cars I often act as a fleet manager too. John also has dogs so I often need to find dog walkers and I manage his storage unit because he has so much stuff, a lot of which is given to him.
I can honestly say that there is no job description and each day is completely different. It’s about being flexible. On tour I can find myself ironing his show wardrobe and even though his manager, Gavin Barker, takes care of the business side of things I have to fit his personal life around all of that. There are also days when John does his ‘brain dump’ which is when he’ll hand me ten pages of notes that he’s made. He still enjoys doing a lot of things himself and when I arrange wrap parties when he’s finished filming John will insist on doing the food. He gets everything done too. I don’t know how he finds the time.
How long is your working day?
Longer than the usual nine-to-five! I have a chance to shape my day when he is away in London. Yet John’s work doesn’t fall within conventional hours because he may be doing theatre or a concert or a TV show in the evening. It’s the same when he is working in the States and thanks to the time difference I find myself taking calls from him late in the night.
10 » www.executivepa.com » Apr/May 2010
Do you have moments of glamour?
One of my most enduring moments of glamour happened in my first week with John. I accompanied him to the Radio 2 lounge and found myself sitting next to Tony Benn. Then when I looked across the room I saw Liza Minnelli after which Jonathan Ross walked in. It was amazing but it was when Kaye Adams from Loose Women walked in that I became truly awestruck. I love that show!
What is the hardest part of the job?
Making decisions for John is the toughest thing I have to do. I may need to do something but can’t bother him with it because he is focusing on a project. That means a lot of decisions have to be made for him. I’ve built up a lot of experience in knowing what he wants but never get it right all of the time. Sometimes he’ll surprise me by wanting to do something completely different. Luckily I’ve developed an instinct for what he wants and that’s what I rely upon.
Do John’s fans affect your workload?
I have personal contact with one or two of John’s fans and that’s because they’ll be at a concert and have a gift to give him. He’s trying to persuade people to donate to charity instead at the moment though. He also gets a lot of fan mail and
right now there’s an enormous pile of letters in the office. It’s my job to go through them and pin John
down so that he can sign them. He has so little time but he still signs letters for fans. That’s why when he is working away from Cardiff I can’t wait for him to come back so that he can tackle the fan mail that’s waiting for him.
What has been your greatest achievement in the role?
It has to be surviving the first year of working with John. When I started the job I started it from scratch. There was no job description, no one had done the job before me and there was no template to guide me. It gave me the chance to make the role entirely my own but it also meant an enormous amount of work. That’s why, at the end of the first year, the acceptance
and recognition that I got from John was great. He bought me a VW Cabriolet as a bonus for all of my hard work but the real reward was knowing that I was doing a great job at supporting John. E
across the room I saw Liza Minnelli after which Jonathan Ross walked in. It was amazing but it was when Kaye Adams from Loose Women walked in that I became truly awestruck. I love that show!
“When I looked
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