I have agreed to write my blog only if I have carte blanche and Jodie does not sit behind me while I type. She will only read this once it is posted on the site for all to see.
Where to start? I'm sure many of you will want to know what it is like living 24/7 with Jodie Marsh. Well, here we go.......from a mother's point of view.
THE EARLY YEARS
Let's begin at the beginning. Jodie was born screaming and cried non stop for what seemed forever. Her need for stimulation and attention increased as she grew and she needed (or wanted) very little sleep. Commonly known as hyperactive. Her love of books meant that I would sit with her for hours reading children's stories to such an extent that eventually, she would sit and "read" them herself having memorised each story word for word. At this time she would have been about 18 months old. This led to me buying a set of flash cards and beginning to teach her to read properly which got me into trouble when she began infant school as apparently, I should have left it to the teachers! She quickly grew tired of puzzles and games as she could do them standing on her head, and therefore it was a constant battle to find things to challenge her. She was walking at nine and a half months and speaking sentences at 12 months. As her vocabulary increased, she would astound me with her speech and her constant inquisitive questioning. It would be correct to say that she was a demanding child, although most of her demands stemmed from her desire to learn.
As a toddler, she loved to dress up, as do most children, but everything had to be colour co-ordinated and she was very particular that everything should match. Some of this may have come from me, as I too love to have everything matching, but I feel she was born with this desire. She quickly progressed to using my make-up and often, when we were going out, to a family party or to a restaurant, I would put a little eye-shadow and lipstick on for her. I have many lovely photographs of these times. Her love for clothes began as a very small child and she would organise fashion shows with her friends, getting them to put on all manner of clothing which was always great fun. These would be set to music and a running commentary from Jodie. She even filmed some which, when we look back on them now are a source of great amusement. Oh what fun she had!
THE CONTINUING STORY......CLOTHING!
Jodie still loves clothes, only now, the outfits are very different. People may think that she only started wearing outrageous outfits after she became famous. Not so! As far back as I can remember, she was seeking out clothing that was "different" and if she couldn't find just what she wanted, she would customise it herself. She always looked fantastic and many a time, girls would approach her and want to know where she got her outfit. She did think about going into fashion industry which I feel would have had a great impact. At 15 she went out in a white bikini bottom under a pair of completely see through plastic trousers, with a silver jacket and very tall silver hat. She looked beautiful. She would also get me to style her hair in all sorts of ways, one of which would take me hours. I would divide her hair into tiny sections and plait each section until her whole head was done, resulting in a medusa look. It looked fab! She was a leader, rather than a follower of fashion and her style was copied by many girls, (mush to her annoyance.) I would always say to her, when she got cross, "be flattered by it, they copy you because they want to be like you, it's the sincerest form of flattery." After she became well known, her style became even more daring, we all have seen the famous Army Belts. I had a journalist telephone me for my opinion the morning the photograph appeared in the newspapers, and I reluctantly gave my first "interview". The reporter had promised that the article was not to slag her off, (as so many had in the past) but to write something nice about her. Well that was not only my first, but also my last brush with the media. The article not only misconstrued my words and took sentences out of context, but was not at all favourable to Jodie. It upset me so mush and I swore never to give them the opportunity to do so again. 12 months later, at the FHM Awards, Jodie went out in not two, but three belts! Before she left, she came over and showed me her outfit. OK, it was skimpy, the third belt acting as a skirt and the two belts, Jodie style across her boobs, all sparkly and shiny! BUT, she looked amazing, and I told her so. Not exactly an outfit to meet the queen in, but, for the FHM 100 Sexiest Women Awards...........WOW! So off she went. Next morning, I was tuned into Heart FM, as usual, to hear Jono Coleman slag her off. After describing her outfit he said sarcastically, "I bet her Mum and Dad are proud of her." I did something so totally out of character for me. I phoned the radio station, not to speak to Jono direct, just the voice at the end of the phone, and asked him to please give Jono a message from me. "I'm Jodie's mother, and yes I am proud of her, very proud. I saw her last night before she went out, and she looked amazing." I never tuned in to Heart FM again.
THE MARSH HOUSEHOLD
Our house has always been "open house" and therefore, when Jodie started school she began inviting friends back for tea, or to stay over. Sometimes, not content with one person, she would invite a crowd over and they spent many a happy hour playing in the garden, riding or grooming the pony or whizzing about the fields in the miniature car. Never a dull moment. These days were filled with laughter and happiness and hold very fond memories for me in particular. I remember her first "sleep over" as a teenager when she invited both boys and girls. This quickly became a game of cat and mouse as the boys tried to sneak out of the room they had been given to sleep in and make their way to the girl's bedroom, which involved them tip-toeing past our bedroom door in the process. Each time they snuck past, they were sent back to their room, ever more despondent. (These same boys, a couple of years later were to stand in our driveway hurling bricks and stones and shouting obscenities.)
Our house is still pretty mush the same, Jodie still has friends stay over, only now, her Dad and I wake up to find an array of random bodies scattered all over the house having come home from yet another wild night out, and falling asleep wherever there was room. Weekends are the best. We never know who we will find loitering about, Ricardo, still in full make-up and very little else, Kyle with his big hair all over the place and still with only one eye open, but still looking fab, Russ, not knowing just where he is or what he is doing here, but ever smiling and greeting me with an "ello Mum!" As you can tell, absolute carnage. Sunday's in the Marsh household are quite something. Then there's dinner...............
HER FRIENDS
Jodie has a great group of friends around her, most of whom go back a long way, and all are lovely people. Her Dad and I know each of them very well and we treat them all as an extension of our family unit and, although adults are looked upon as "our other children". Some of them spend more time with us than they do their own families and we often find ourselves drawn into conversations/discussions with them covering every subject under the sun. A special mention to just two of these lovely people, although no-one is excluded from this section, just not enough room to include everyone, Lauren (being a teacher) is wise beyond her years, (I expect to get the P taken out of me here, and can hear Jodie and her friends saying, " oh, you know Lauren, she's wise beyond her years.") very intelligent and is always a good source of information. She keeps Jodie grounded, not that she needs grounding, and has always been there for her, through the good and bad, a real gem. Everyone loves Kyle, male or female. He sprinkles you with magic dust which makes you fall in love with him, (believe me, if you met him it would happen to you!) He is a very special person and I believe that they will always be soul mates. They go back a long way and both have the same outlook on life, people, clothes, the universe!
MY INNER-MOST THOUGHTS
There are no false pretensions where Jodie is concerned, what you see is what you get. She wears her heart on her sleeve (for all the world to see) and tells it as it is. She is also direct and to the point which I admire as so many of us hide our true feelings, for all sorts of reasons. She is opinionated, but again this I admire. Her opinions on many subjects are honest and rational. They make you stop and think. She is a strong person, and I truly believe that her strength has carried her through all the tough times she has been through. The bullying especially. You either give in to bullies or stand up to them. We have a poster displayed at home that states "Laugh with a bully and you are a bully." This is depicted by an open mouth, with a closed fist in place of teeth. You may have seen it as it was inside one of the weekly magazines. Other qualities she has are her caring attitude toward others, especially those less fortunate, her generosity, her happy smiling disposition (most of the time) and her tireless effort to be a good person. She can be infuriating as well, especially when it comes to doing her paperwork. I am seen as the nagging old hag when I have to constantly get on to her about getting everything up to date. It worries me that she gets behind with her accounts and as each deadline approaches, I get even more anxious. Fan mail, during busy work schedules, often gets put to one side, but she will eventually get round to responding to each and everyone. (A final word about her fans to follow.) She knows however, that I am only trying to help, and therefore, deep down, excuses me for nagging. My final comment in this section is this.......I (and her Dad) feel immense pride in all she has achieved, and privileged that she, along with our son Jordan, still want us around and include us in their plans. We love being with you, being there for you and being part of this exciting adventure. Maybe when we are sat dribbling in the corner, you may think twice, but until then, thank you so mush for including us in everything you do. Our love is immeasurable.
FINALLY- A QUICK MENTION TO THE FANS
Jodie has received letters from all over the world. Along with Jodie, I try to read each and every one and I am constantly delighted by the wonderful letters her fans take the time and trouble to write. The effort that goes into some has to be seen to be believed. I have read so many times what an inspiration she has been, be it for her bullying campaign, her book, Keeping It Real, or one of the many other aspects of her life. A big, big thank you to you all. You inspire Jodie. On a day when perhaps there has been yet another "story" in the tabloids, they bring it home to her that people do care, so keep the letters coming. She sometimes may take a while to answer, but will do eventually. (Don't forget an sae for your reply.)
Thanks for letting me sound off.
Mummy Marsh
x
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment