The question

When were you most embarrassed?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

A verbatim recurring question in The Guardian's Q&A series.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

KH
Kelly Hoppen
Recorded said elsewhere, not written here
Years ago in a safari park in South Africa, and getting all dressed up for dinner. Walking across the lawn, I didn’t realise there was a swimming pool that hadn’t been lit and walked straight into the shallow end fully clothed. It still haunts me. I remember trying to get out as if no one would notice.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 September 2024 source ↗

Others on this question

View all 122 →
Neil Gaiman Author of fiction, comics and screenplays
The idiocy of going to Skye from New Zealand in April 2020. All of a sudden, I’m turning on the news and hearing myself as an item. I have never been more mortified.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 21 October 2023 source ↗
Kellie Maloney Retired boxing manager, promoter and politician
In my early days of transitioning, I used to come to London and meet for a drink with a group going through the same thing. I used to wear a full wig, and one night I’d drunk too much and fell asleep on the train, and my wig slipped off.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 August 2024 source ↗
I once did a record store signing in LA, which I had no business doing. No one was there – just staff. They were getting ready to close the shop and sweeping up.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 26 August 2023 source ↗
I was in a restaurant with my daughter in Los Angeles and I had an accident involving a stomach upset. That was mortifying for both of us.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 13 June 2026 source ↗

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