Aroundtown MEETS
two of the most important men in her life to suicide pours from the words in her book, with a strong message throughout.
“Those who are left behind by suicide carry the pain of those who depart. You need to counterbalance it by enjoying the rest of your own life and not letting tragedy hold you back. I’ve had messages from people who have read the book saying it has changed their outlook on life.”
However, Vikki channelled her grief into rescuing others, often to the detriment of herself, which she also covers in the book with
south to be near me. And now I was in my mid-20s with no family left. But as Mum would say, I needed to buck up and get on with it. “Banking on your looks is a finite game, I knew I needed to foster qualities that would grow, not fade.” During the ‘80s, Victoria’s new life down under was primarily spent in advertising after rewriting the script for her husband’s John McEnroe milk commercial. She won script writing awards before going into magazine editing and documentary production.
But like a real-life Don Draper, her second husband had a drink
‘‘The deli was the first in the UK to use eco-friendly packaging such a palm husk containers, acid-free paper bags and biodegradable cutlery.’’
a ‘lessons in life’ chapter looking at how to spot a toxic relationship – something she knows all too well about.
While working in Zurich, Victoria met her first husband whom she presumed was a psychology student; he turned out to be an addict undergoing medical research and would end up in prison for drug offences.
She went on a date with French TV presenter, Olivier Todd, the only man who preferred to discuss current affairs than have one – and the one who got away, she says. At 25 and wanting a more brain-alert career than the world of modelling, she was introduced to her second husband who worked in advertising and used her for her final ad shoot in a Cadbury’s Flake TV commercial.
After the death of her mother to heart disease aged just 61, the pair moved to Australia where Victoria left modelling behind for new horizons.
“Mum’s death had shattered me. She never had another relationship after Dad and had moved down
problem and entered rehab 13 times. When their marriage ended, Victoria was approaching 40 with two failed marriages and no children. She moved back to London to find peace. It came in the form of a delicatessen which she opened in the early ‘90s and attracted customers from miles for her range of continental-style foods and salads. Hugh Grant even became a regular.
An average day would start at 5.30am where Victoria would take fresh produce deliveries from Covent Garden market. She grew her own herbs and used local honey while also juggling VAT and annual accounts records. The deli was the first in the UK to use eco-friendly packaging such as palm husk containers, acid-free paper bags and biodegradable cutlery.
“It’s always repelled me to see how much stuff is unnecessarily packaged in plastic. I can’t believe that it’s taken this long for the rest of the world to wake up to the global issue.”
Not long after, she also met Mr Right.
“He didn’t call for a year but he said he’d sensed I needed time. We had an instant connection; he’s my best friend and gives me strength. Dad and Nick would have loved Michael because he’s a designer and engineer like them, plus he’s the one looking after me for a change, not the other way around.” Following approval by fellow Barnsley-er Michael Parkinson, whom she first met in Australia when both were working there in 80s, she and Mr Right first became a couple in 1994 and married 10 years ago. Victoria is step-mum to Michael’s daughter, not wanting to put pressure on the relationship by trying to start her own family in her 40s. Together, the pair launched a humanitarian aid company in 2005 designing and manufacturing innovative shelter, hygiene and sanitation products which are used in Haiti, Nepal, South America and throughout Africa. “We’d been living a life of relative luxury together and felt we’d become detached from reality. It was seeing the footage from the Kashmir earthquake that made us want to make a difference, more than just simply donating money to charity. We used funds from the
sale of our possessions to start up the company.”
When Victoria finally found the courage to revisit her roots, and first brought Michael to Barnsley for a tour of her old stomping ground, she discovered her father’s showroom in Wellington Street had been pulled down the day before. A welcome reprieve from painful memories. Today, Victoria is living proof that she is far more than just a vacant stare in a glossy magazine. Her youthful looks as the Face of ’68 remain but it’s her humour, wit, and warmth that radiates through – albeit she has somewhat lost the Yorkshire twang.
“But I’ll never stop being that proud lass from Barnsley, wherever life takes me.”
Head Shot is priced at £16.99 and is available from
Amazon.co.uk Or you can order a copy from Waterstones at Meadowhall
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