Celia Walden | |
---|---|
Born | Paris, France | 8 December 1975
Nationality | British |
Other names | Celia Morgan |
Education | Westminster School |
Alma mater | Newnham College, Cambridge |
Occupation(s) | Journalist, novelist, critic |
Spouse | |
Children | 1 |
Father | George Walden |
Celia Isobel Pughe-Morgan (née Walden; born 8 December 1975) is a British journalist, novelist, and critic.
Early life and education
[edit]Walden was born in Paris, France. Her father, George, became a Conservative MP and Minister for Higher Education under Margaret Thatcher's premiership. Walden's mother, Sarah, is an art historian and picture restorer, who has worked on old masters. Walden was educated at Westminster School, followed by Newnham College, Cambridge,[1] where she read French and Italian. She grew up with two brothers.[2]
Career
[edit]Walden has worked as a waitress, but is best known as a feature writer and former gossip columnist.[2] She was the last editor of The Daily Telegraph's now defunct diary, "Spy". She previously wrote for the Evening Standard and the Daily Mail.[3] Her first novel, Harm's Way, was published in August 2008.
Walden wrote a column published in The Daily Telegraph on 24 March 2011, expressing her hatred of cyclists. The end of her article read "...and of course this lot are so confident on the roads that they will all be plugged into their iPods, calmly humming 'lalalalala' along to Sasha Distel, as that articulated lorry indicates left".[4] The article was published in the same week that a cyclist in central London had been killed by a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) turning left into her path. Her column was condemned by the Cycling Intelligence website.[5]
Walden's memoir from 2011 of her time spent with footballer George Best, Babysitting George, was vehemently criticised as "largely fictional" by his widow, Alex Best, who threatened legal action against the book's publisher, Bloomsbury Publishing. The Observer quoted Best's former mistress, Gina Devivo, describing the work as being by someone "with a very good imagination". Devivo added: "I am most angry for George, because he is not here to defend himself. It just didn't happen that way. George would be absolutely livid. He only ever spent a few days with Celia at most and had no rapport with her at all. I did tell Celia it was wrong before publication, and she told me she would put something in the front of the book saying it had all happened 'to the best of her memory'. In the end, though, she didn't, and she even thanked me for my 'continuing friendship', in the first pages, even though she hadn't seen me for eight years".[6]
Personal life
[edit]Walden began a relationship with fellow journalist Piers Morgan in January 2006. She married Morgan in a private ceremony in the Oxfordshire village of Swinbrook on 24 June 2010.[7]
Morgan announced in June 2011 that the couple were expecting a child,[8] and on 25 November 2011, Walden gave birth to Elise Pughe-Morgan, her first child, and her husband's fourth.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ The Cambridge University List of Members up to 31 July 1998
- ^ a b Armstrong, Lisa (27 August 2021). "Celia Walden: 'I never expected a quiet life with Piers... but I wasn't quite anticipating this'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ About. Celia Walden (website). Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ^ "Driven crazy by a fluttering Fair Weather Cyclist". telegraph.co.uk. 24 March 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
- ^ "A reply to Celia Walden". cycling-intelligence.com. 25 March 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
- ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (29 May 2011). "George Best's widow and his lover unite against 'totally unfair' memoir". The Observer. London. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ "Piers Morgan marries Celia Walden". The Daily Telegraph. 25 June 2010. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
- ^ "Fourth Child On the Way for Piers Morgan". People. 5 June 2011.
- ^ "First Glimpse Of Piers Morgan's Daughter Elise". Celebrity Baby Scoop. 27 November 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.