Frost interviewed the beautiful and talented Claudia Gerini. Prolific and mufti-lingual, Claudia can be seen in Labyrinth, broadcast on Friday 29 and Sunday 31st March on Channel 4.
You got your first role when you were only 14. Do you think starting so young was a good thing?
Well, I think that there are advantages and disadvantages in all of
one’s decisions. Perhaps the positive side of this was that I started to work
immediately and was able to throw myself into the career that I had always
known I wanted to follow. The negative side could be that I started to work
straight away and so I wasn’t able to develop other interests or perhaps lost
out on other things but, at the end of the day I think that say it was a more
positive than negative outcome.
What is your favourite role you have played?
Well, I suppose it was the part that I had I’m Crazy about Iris Blond. I
played the part of a waitress ― Iris Blond ― who then becomes a singer and
given that singing is my passion and the role required me to sing a lot, I really
enjoyed that part.
You have over 53 credits on IMDB, how do you think you managed to have such a long and prolific career?
I suppose taking decisions and making the right choices. I don’t really
know. I follow a trajectory in which I try to follow a set of principles and be
faithful to my ideas and plans. Part of this is probably my love of challenge
and so I try not to repeat myself too much and I am always on the look out for
new genres and different roles.
Favourite film?
I have no doubts about that one. Moulin Rouge by Baz Luhrmann. I
don’t know how many times I’ve seen it over the years.
Favourite genre to work in?
I think I’d have to say comedy, a more romantic or ironic comedy but
then again, given that I like changing genres and roles and I am always on
the look out for a challenging role, I like dramatic roles as well.
You have worked in many different languages. Do you find learning
other languages hard? What is your favourite language to work in?
I find it quite easy to learn new languages, probably because I have a
good ear and so I tend to pick up the sounds quickly. I learned Spanish,
French and English this way and if I have to work in another language then
probably I prefer working in Spanish or English.
What would you be if you were not an actress?
If I could stay in the entertainment sector then I’d love to be a singer. If
I had to change sector then I think I’d love to work with children, young
children; perhaps as a pedagogue or even a primary school teacher.
How do you stay in shape?
I keep in shape by going to Taekwondo classes 3 times a week. Its so
energetic that you don’t really need to do anything else; there is a lot of cardio
and stretching and so its an all-round sporting activity. Recently I’ve
discovered pole dancing which is a lot of fun so I suppose just keeping myself
in movement. You know, being a full-time working mother, I have very little
time to sit and relax and another thing is that I’m slowly moving towards a
more vegetarian diet as well even though I still eat meat occasionally.
What’s next for you?
At the moment I am working on some projects that will be staring this
summer and so I’ll be back on set shooting in July. Tulpa is also being
released in Italy on the 30th of May and so I’ll be a bit busy with that as well
and so, in general, I’m getting ready to start filming again this summer.
In the three years since I started Frost Magazine I have been sent a lot of stuff, and Moroccan Oil is one of my favourites.
Moroccan Oil has only been going for six years and in that time it has become a cult product. All of my friends raved about it and I just never got around to buying it. The main reason was I just didn’t get the whole oil + hair thing. Wouldn’t it leave it greasy? Or limp?
Well, no. I have fine hair and I am careful to not use products that will drag it down, but Moroccan Oil does not do that. In fact it leaves my hair super shiny, conditioned and de-tangled. My hair goes through a lot. I act and spend my life getting my hair curled, blow dried, backcombed and cornrowed so they can then attach a wig. If it was a person, it would have been in hospital. Before trying the 
Moroccan Oil it was really tangled. It would take me ages to get a brush through it. I used the Moroccan Oil products and ran a brush straight through my hair, no problem at all.
I use Moroccan Oil Moisture Repair Shampoo, Moroccan Oil Moisture Repair Conditioner
When I mentioned to a few friends that I had been sent the Moroccan Oil to review they said they were jealous and that I would never use anything again, they may be right. I give the product top marks.
A new photographic exhibition at the Horniman Museum & Gardens captures the underwater wonders of the coral triangle. Rainforest of the Sea (opening 9 March) features stunning photographs of sea creatures in Borneo, and highlights the diversity of coral reefs, as well as the threats facing one of the world’s richest habitats.
Marine biologist and photographer Jamie Craggs worked without the aid of digital photography to create the series of striking underwater shots – from a turtle silhouetted against an azure sky, to close encounters with a longhorn cowfish, a bumblebee shrimp and a hairy squat lobster.
Jamie says: ‘Coral reefs are often called the “rainforest of the sea” because, like rainforests, they are one of the most biologically diverse habitats on the planet. These photos weren’t taken with an exhibition in mind, but the threats to this amazing underwater world are so great that I wanted the images to do some good. I hope Rainforest of the Sea will not only show visitors the beauty and wonder of the coral reef and its creatures, but also raise awareness of the importance of protecting them for the future.’
Jamie has worked on coral reef expeditions in the Philippines, as an underwater cameraman in Borneo and as a professional aquarist in the UK. He is currently the Aquarium Curator at the Horniman, overseeing a collection of 2,500 live specimens from 150 aquatic species. He specialises in coral biology and is working with international organisations to conserve coral reefs and better understand the impact human life has on these fragile and globally important habitats.
Rainforest of the Sea opens at the Horniman Museum & Gardens open now. Entry to the exhibition is free.
100 London Road T: 020 8699 1872
Forest Hill www.horniman.ac.uk
London SE23 3PQ
Here is a collection of the Oscar Wilde’s famous fairy tales, read by a cast of leading British actors.
Ulysses is regarded by many as the single most important novel of the 20th century. It tells the story of one day in Dublin, June 16th 1904, largely through the eyes of Stephen Dedalus (Joyce’s alter ego from Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man) and Leopold Bloom, an advertising salesman. Both begin a normal day, and both set off on a journey around the streets of Dublin, which eventually brings them into contact with one another.
It is August, 1974, and a tightrope walker is suspended between the twin towers, watched by thousands in the streets below. Elegantly weaving together their seemingly disparate lives, McCann’s powerful novel comes alive in the unforgettable voices of the city’s people, unexpectedly drawn together by hope, beauty, and the tightrope walker’s “artistic crime of the century.” Featuring a stunning ensemble performance by the narrators.
Paddy Clarke is ten years old. Paddy Clarke lights fires. Paddy Clarke’s name is written in wet cement all over Barrytown, north Dublin. Paddy Clarke’s heroes are Father Damien (and the lepers), Geronimo and George Best. Paddy Clarke has a brother called Francis, but Paddy calls him Sinbad and hates him because that’s the rule. Paddy Clarke knows the exact moment to knock a dead scab from his knee. Paddy Clarke loves his Ma and Da, but it seems like they don’t love each other, and Paddy’s world is falling apart.
Whilst in Ireland for an International Song Competition, Tony Hawks was amazed to see a hitch-hiker, trying to thumb a lift, but with a fridge. This seemed amazingly optimistic – his Irish friends, however thought nothing of it at all. ‘I had clearly arrived in a country’, writes Tony, ‘where the qualifications for ‘eccentric’ involved a great deal more than that to which I had become used’. Two years pass but the fridge incident haunts our author. Until one night, heavy with drink, he finds himself arguing about Ireland with a friend. It is, he insists, a ‘magical place’, so magical in fact, that a man could even get a lift with a fridge. The next morning there is a note by the bed. ‘I hereby bet Tony Hawks the sum of One Hundred Pounds that he cannot hitch-hike around the circumference of Ireland with a fridge within one calendar month’. The document was signed. The bet was made. This book is the story of Tony’s adventures through that incredible month. The people he meets, the difficulties, the triumphs. The fridge.
Putting history into a perspective, Irish History for Dummies is an engaging, entertaining and educational trip through time, packing in equal parts fun and facts, providing listeners with a riveting history of this ancient land. The history of Ireland has shaped the world far beyond its borders. And few stories have a greater need for a balanced and light-hearted telling than the complex and often controversial saga of Ireland and her people.
William Butler Yeats, the first Irishman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, is not only one of the greatest poets of the 20th century but one of the most widely read. The landscape, myths, legends, and folklore of his homeland lie at the heart of his poetic imagination, and the unique musicality of Ireland adds to the richness of his verse. But the themes of his poetry are universal and timeless: the conflict between life and death, love and hate, and the meaning of man’s existence in an imperfect world.
There is now no doubt that not only is Waiting for Godot the outstanding play of the 20th century, but it is also Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece. Yet it is both a popular text to be studied at school and an enigma. The scene is a country road. There is a solitary tree. It is evening. Two tramp-like figures, Vladimir and Estragon, exchange words. Pull off boots. Munch a root vegetable. Two other curious characters enter. And a boy. Time passes. It is all strange yet familiar. Waiting for Godot casts its spell as powerfully in this audiobook recording as it does on stage.
From the fall of Rome to the rise of Charlemagne – the “dark ages” – learning, scholarship, and culture disappeared from the European continent. The great heritage of Western civilization – from the Greek and Roman classics to Jewish and Christian works – would have been utterly lost were it not for the holy men and women of unconquered Ireland.
Jay Dolan of Notre Dame University is one of America’s most acclaimed scholars of immigration and ethnic history. In The Irish Americans, he caps his decades of writing and teaching with this magisterial history of the Irish experience in the United States. Although more than 30 million Americans claim Irish ancestry, no other general account of Irish American history has been published since the 1960s. Dolan draws on his own original research and much other recent scholarship to weave an insightful, colorful narrative. He follows the Irish from their first arrival in the American colonies through the bleak days of the potato famine that brought millions of starving immigrants; the trials of ethnic prejudice and “No Irish Need Apply”, the rise of Irish political power and the heyday of Tammany politics; to the election of John F. Kennedy as president, a moment of triumph when an Irish American ascended to the highest office in the land.
– 
Two thirds of women ditch heels and join SJP in a flats revolution –
According to a recent poll of SecretSales.com members, two thirds (62 per cent) of women are planning to ditch their heels for a more comfortable flat shoe this season.
With recent news revealing Sarah Jessica Parker and Victoria Beckham have developed long-term foot damage due to wearing high heels, wise women are deciding to mix up their wardrobe and leave the old adage ‘beauty is pain’ behind them.
Despite continuous health warnings, there are some stylish women who just cannot bear to be parted from their beloved stilettos; with a quarter (27 per cent) saying they would not feel confident wearing flats every day.
For those women thinking of mixing up their flats to heels ratio, Chelsea boots, as sported recently by Victoria Beckham, or glamorous pumps, worn by Alexa Chung and Sienna Miller, are a must for this season.
Ballet pumps were the staple flat shoe for British women, followed by Chelsea boots in second. The least popular flat footwear of choice were moon boots, with one in five (19 per cent) fashionistas saying they would not be caught dead in a pair.
Top five flat shoes:
|
Ballet pumps |
32% |
|
Chelsea boots |
23% |
|
Brogues |
19% |
|
Trainers |
16% |
|
Loafers |
10% |
Helen Kaye, Head of Editorial at SecretSales.com says “Flats can be a great addition to a cute skirt or skinny jeans. They are essential in any wardrobe and can make an outfit look more relaxed and playful. Swapping the heels on occasion can help save your feet and add some fun back to your style and wardrobe!”
To rock the stylish flats look for less, SecretSales.com is offering a 60 per cent discount on Missoni flats from Wednesday 20th March. Members of the site will be able to snap up the £163 shoes for £99.
By Cheryl MacDonald BA Hons E-RPYT, Perinatal Yoga teacher and Childbirth educator
The now glowing Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge has given up her punishing exercise routine in wake of her pregnancy and is now practising yoga to help ensure a natural, drug free birth for the pending heir to the throne.
Why yoga during pregnancy?
Yoga is being hailed as THE form of exercise of pregnant women everywhere, allowing mother to remain fit and flexible while building a strong mind and body to prepare for childbirth. The focus of yoga during pregnancy works on relaxed stretching (asanas), yogic breathing (or pranayama) and deep relaxation or savasana. Yoga during pregnancy and also post-partum with baby can decrease the incidence of antenatal depression and has been proven to actively encourage mum and baby bonding, even while in utero.
Where do I start with prenatal yoga?
I highly recommend if you are completely new to yoga, then you should join a special prenatal yoga class with a properly qualified perinatal yoga teacher (200 hour yoga teaching qualification with specialist perinatal yoga training a minimum.) If you are a yoga newbie and do wish to practice yoga in the first trimester, look towards relaxing poses and deep breathing, focusing on meeting and getting to know your baby.
Five safe yoga postures for pregnancy
Here are some easy to try yoga postures to try at home. Remember that unless you are an experienced yoga practitioner with an existing practice, you should not undertake yoga until 14-16 weeks gestation.
Cat Curls (Bidalasana): Bidalasana helps relieve lower back pain and to release the length of the spine, a common problem during pregnancy.
– Get down on your hands and knees with hands placed directly under shoulders and knees under the hips.
– Inhale and lift your heart, stretch back through your tail and concave your spine.
– Exhale and roll your spine, lowering the head, pressing through the hands back to straight back.
Cat Curls in pregnancy differ from your normal cat curl as we don’t curl the abdomen towards the floor, after curling up we simply return to flat back or table top. Repeat following your breath – Inhale as your curl the spine up and exhale back to flat back.
Childs Pose (Balasana):
– From any kneeling position, sit your tail back toward your heels.
– Take the knees as far apart as you need to to make your bump comfortable.
– Sit back as far as is comfortable and rest your head toward the mat. If you can’t reach your head to the mat, rest your chin on your hands. You can stack your fists and rest your forehead there or use a block if you can’t quite get down. Otherwise, you can stretch your arms out long in front of you and lower your head all the way to the mat.
Avoid balasana if suffering from sciatica.
Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana): Baddha Konasana is a classic pregnancy yoga posture and is excellent for helping to open up the hips and pelvis in preparation for birth. This is a posture that be practised at night while reading a book or watching TV and is especially important for the later stages of pregnancy in the third trimester.
– Sit on your mat with the soles of the feet together.
– Bring your heels as close to the groin as possible and pull the shoulder back and down away from the ears to straighten the spine.
– Hold the feet with the hands and (with a straight spine) begin to gently bend forwards from the hips – only as much as is comfortable – please do not squish your baby!
– Remember to breathe in and out through the nose.
Downward Facing Dog (AdhoMukkhaSvanasana): Downward dog can be practised with feet wider apart than normal to accommodate your bump, although ideally no further apart than hip width.
– Push into the palms of the hands and pull up on the hip bones.
– When and if ready, takes the heels to the mat. It’s fine to keep the knees bent when pregnant and focus on stretch from hands to hips, lengthening the back.
Only hold any inversion for 5 seconds during pregnancy and if you feel dizzy or nauseous at all, come back down onto the mat and into child pose and relax.
Yoga Squats (Malasana): Squats are great for building strength and stamina during pregnancy and in preparation for birth. Many women like to squat while birthing. As you get bigger in pregnancy, use props such as blocks, bolsters or a rolled up blanket to rest your bottom on. Focus on relaxing and letting your breath drop deeply into your belly.
– Stand facing the back of a chair with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, toes pointed outward.
– Squat toward the floor as though you were going to sit down in a chair.
– Contract the abdominal muscles, lift your chest, and pull the shoulders back and down. Most of your weight should be toward your heels. This can be done against the wall for support.
Remember to avoid wide legged postures if suffering from pelvic girdle pain or PSD.
Cheryl MacDonald is the founder of YogaBellies which specializes in perinatal yoga and natural birth preparation. She created the Birth ROCKS natural birth preparation method and has trained over 70 YogaBellies teachers across the world and has been working with birthing women for almost ten years. She is mother of one lovely three year old buy and lives with her husband in the west end of Glasgow.
Selim Mouzannar, Guest Designer for Annoushka as seen on Rihanna!
18ct gold and diamond Crossover ring by Selim Mouzannar for Annoushka £7,500, Elle Magazine April 2013
