The results were sensational. His photographs of Diana became legendary as they showed the real woman behind the Princess who had become such a beloved icon.
them all and they always have the nicest things to say about him. When we met, he was eager to
talk about his charitable work and confided in me that he had originally wanted to be a priest! Surprise! And of course, the Church’s loss is Couture’s gain. He told me that as a Save the Children ambassador, he successfully raised RM500,000 by donating a print of Princess Diana to build the El Salvador Clinic in his native Peru. He also raised funds for a Moscow cancer clinic for children. “My brother died from cancer when he was ten years old. I was seventeen then and I felt so helpless, impotent, not able to do anything. One day he complained of an ache in his arm. Te doctors said it was nothing serious. But he turned yellow and it turned out the ache had been caused by three tumours.” The loss of his brother had a lasting impact on him, and inspired him 30 years later to come out with the book “Kids” which celebrates childhood. Testino donated sales proceeds of the book to the Sargent Cancer Care for Children. He explains, “Doing these charitable things has made me feel I have got some of my priestly instincts back. I know people who have everything and all they do is complain and bicker. Tat’s giving off negative energy. When you do something positive, it not only helps others but makes you feel better too. “I don’t seek glory or fame when I help to raise funds for charity. I just do it as I know that it is the right thing to do!”
32 FENGSHUIWORLD | JUNE 2014
The late Princess Diana.
In 2008, he donated a personal photo session with him at Elton John’s celebrated annual White Tie and Tiara Ball, which was successfully auctioned for a staggering RM4 million to a Ukrainian tycoon. Te money went to AIDS, another cause he strongly champions. Born in 1954 in Lima, Peru, to
Italian, Irish and Spanish parentage, the teenager was set to enter the priesthood but his businessman father brought him to New York as an interpreter. It was a case of ‘Camera, Lights, Action’! Te energy and lifestyle of the rich and famous seduced him and God’s calling was put aside. Of course, now that he is a celebrity in his own right, Mario Testino can do infinitely more good by raising funds and bringing attention to worthy causes. He accepts that this just shows that God moves in mysterious ways.
After studying Economics at
University of the Pacific and Catholic University of Lima, he went on to the University of San Diego in California to take up International Relations. In 1976, he moved to London and stayed for seven years in one of the 14 rooms in the abandoned Charing Cross Hospital. It was not exactly a
bed of roses. To ensure he stood out, he dyed his hair pink. To keep body and soul together, he worked as a waiter.
That humble job was to open
doorways undreamt of. Serving a table of editors from British Vogue, he befriended them. Tey agreed to see his work, and the rest as they say is history. He was 23 then, and with British Vogue commissioning him for assignments, Testino soon found himself freelancing for this premier magazine. One assignment led to another... and as he tells it, “If you have to work as a waiter, choose a hip and happening restaurant frequented by trendy movers and shakers. You never know who might just walk in one day!”
Amongst many others, he also
befriended Carine Roitfeld, who would become the powerful Editor of French Vogue. Making all these valuable contacts proved useful, and his phone book was eventually to become his most prized asset. In 1991 his father died of cancer.
Grief-stricken, he consulted a medium recommended by Christian Lacroix, who predicted a life-changing event on 15 October. By chance or coincidence, he was asked to
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