To all my ex-girlfriends because I never turned into the person I thought I was. And to Naomi Campbell, for not being ready to deal with my addictions.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 December 2024 source ↗
Who most deserves an apology from you, and why?
Question
What is the worst job you have done?
Craft & work
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
Failure & regret
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
Daily life
Question
Aside from a property, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?
Money & investment
Question
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Failure & regret
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A fixed Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
To all those whose fleeting interaction with me has fallen short of what they’d hoped; the unwitting recipients of my occasional grumpiness.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 February 2018 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 209 →Myself. I didn’t know how to protect myself adequately when I was younger, and I think I would have experienced my youth differently if I had.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 June 2025 source ↗
Felicity Jones
British actress
No one, I’m pretty good at saying sorry.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 27 May 2023 source ↗
Edith Bowman
Scottish radio DJ and television presenter
Martin Scorsese. I was, let’s say, slightly tactile with him during a Q&A; I was more nervous than I’ve been about anything. I kept tapping his knee, it might even have been bruised by the end.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 February 2021 source ↗
More from Julie Hesmondhalgh
View profile →I cleaned for a very posh lady in Knightsbridge who made me handwash her knickers. I’d advertised myself in The Lady as a dog walker, so I’m not sure how I ended up there.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 February 2018 source ↗
Childbirth. And the wheel of our camper van coming clean off on the M1.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 February 2018 source ↗
Every time I got drunk and out of order. Especially in my teens and 20s.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 February 2018 source ↗
Worrying that I’ve upset people.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 February 2018 source ↗
An old camper van that has cost me more in repairs than my house, my wedding and all the holidays I’ve ever been on.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 February 2018 source ↗
That the last general election didn’t take place later. We might have got rid of the Tories with a couple more weeks.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 February 2018 source ↗
More on failure & regret
- What has been your biggest disappointment? 218 answers
- If you could edit your past, what would you change? 203 answers
- What is the worst thing anyone has said to you? 122 answers
- Which moment embarrassed you most? 122 answers
- How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a favourite failure? 49 answers
- What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? 35 answers
Also answered this · A–Z
Adam Clayton, Adam Peaty, Adele Parks, Adjoa Andoh, Aidan Gillen, Alex Jones
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