Wonder who would win in a nice-off between Jade Goody and Simon Cowell? Or what Keanu Reaves is really like? Cube editor Emily Peat interviews former Sheffield Star journalist turned Celeb reporter, Nadia Brooks, on the A-list, the Z-list and gate-crashing pre-Oscar parties...

Nadia’s a busy lady. But not too busy to kindly fit Cube in for a phone chat. The thing that strikes me about Nadia is how down to earth she is. Despite her hectic schedule, she is all too happy to chat to me. Of course I want to know about how she got where she is today, especially after she tells me she is a former student of Meadowhead…my school! But it’s more inevitable that I need her to satisfy our zealous curiosity for how the rich and famous act when their public personas are no longer needed.

So Nadia, lets get to the juicy stuff… what’s one of the most exciting assignments you’ve ever had?

I had try and get into Kate Moss's 30th birthday party. Which I did, by carrying a small box of chocolates wrapped to look like an expensive present. I walked in behind Rolling Stones' guitarist Ronnie Wood's daughter Leah (the bouncers thought I was with her). Inside I was handed a glass of champagne, chocolates and chatted with the likes of Naomi Campbell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jools Holland, Sadie Frost and Grace Jones. No expense was spared at the party - Kate even hired a couple of Johnny Depp lookalikes to bring out her profiterole cake at midnight. I ended up signing her guestbook too - saying thanks for a great party!

Have you met any or your heroes?

I’ve met a lot of my heroes, like Sigourney weaver, she’s an amazing actress. I had the chance to meet her at a film awards a few years ago. Sometimes when you get the chance to meet these people you almost don’t want too, because you’re scared that they’ll not be as nice and not live up to your expectations.

So is there a noticeable difference between A and Z list Celebs?

You do find that the bigger the star the nicer they are, some of the A list celebrities are absolutely lovely. Then you’ll meet people who were on Big Brother and they think they’re as big as the queen. Funnily enough, before Jade Goody fell from the popularity index, I met her at this TV awards and she was really very nasty to me. She had this image in the press of being really nice but she was really horrible and stuck up. On the same token Simon Cowell has this image of being really snooty and horrible but he’s actually one of the loveliest guys you will ever meet!


What’s the best hobnobbing you’ve done with the stars?

Earlier this year I was in LA covering the Oscars and the Grammys. I managed to gatecrash a party the night before Oscars which was wall-to-wall A-listers. Will Smith took the mickey out of my English accent, P Diddy chatted about wearing sunglasses at night, Cameron Diaz trod on my foot and spent ages apologising profusely about it, we ended up joking with Jennifer Aniston. It was the most amazing party I've ever
been to.


What’s the most interesting interview you’ve ever done?

Keanu reeves was interesting, he’s actually a lot deeper than people give him credit for. People seem to think that he’s this unintelligent actor who’s not really got anywhere on his talent and just on his looks but he’s actually a really intelligent guy.

You must have loads of interesting stories, can you share any?

I almost fainted when Robbie Williams came up to me after a press conference, gave me a cuddle and said thanks for asking him a funny question. The exchange ended up in his book Feel. And when I was in LA the night before the Oscars there was a party on the beach. A friend and I went along and as we were walking down, there were these geeky photographers. They must have thought that we were TV presenters or something because they started snapping away at us. At that moment one of the bouncers came along thinking we were being harassed and lead us inside this party. So we got into the party completely free thanks to these guys thinking we were celebrities.


How do you think the media affects the way celebrities are portrayed?

Nowadays celebrities are so media trained that it’s hard to get a true picture of someone. It’s thought that Victoria Beckham phones photographers and tells them where she is, when in the press she claims to be harassed by them. So they’re a lot more savvy than they were in the past. They know how to make a photo opportunity and they know that shopping in a short skirt will make the papers. I went to an event a couple of weeks ago where Girls Aloud were advertising a new hair product and that was the whole purpose of the night. Journalists were invited along to publicise that they where promoting this new hair care range. I went hoping to ask a few questions and was told that it was their night off and that they were just enjoying themselves, when they were clearly being paid a lot of money to be there.

What are the best parts of your job?

Probably travelling and getting to meet people, I get to go to some really cool events. They’re not always as glamorous as you think they are, but you get to go to stuff like the Brits and the Glamour awards.

And the worst?

Meeting the so called ‘celebrities’ who have only got famous because they appeared on a TV show or are related to someone. They’re the ones who don’t tend to be the nicest of human beings. It’s also embarrassing if you try to go to an event and get turned away by the burley bouncers.

What are you up to at the moment?

It’s all the festivals at the moment, so I think we’re all going to see if Kate Moss and Pete Doherty are going to tie the knot at Glastonbury. Or who turns up at V festival. Last year there were rumours that Paris Hilton was going to turn up, obviously I don’t think she will be this year, what with her being in prison.



Do you feel a responsibility for what you write about people?

It depends on the situation. If the celebrities are at an event that is attended by the press they are well aware that the press are going to be asking them questions. Gail Porter when she first lost her hair was very fragile. I met her at this party and she took me to the bar and was drinking with me. You could tell she was so distraught and upset, nothing like the Gail Porter I had met in the past who was always bubbly and full of life. She said some things that I could have gone away and made a double spread of, but I made the decision that she was in such a state, and it was things that might not have reflected too well on her so I decided to write it off.

It was great interviewing Nadia for Cube. It was also good to know, with my interest in journalism as a career, that she grew up and studied here in lil’ old Sheffield. She really opened my eyes to celebrity journalism and is yet another talented person Sheffield can be proud of. And when I asked her of her proudest work, it wasn’t a big glam interview with this star or that…it was the community journalism she’d contributed to our very own Sheffield Star. A true star ay?

To hear my full interview with Nadia and her tips on journalism as a career, go to www.radiowaves.co.uk/cube


It was great meeting Angelina Jolie at the Tomb Raider 2 premiere. She was wearing an elegant and floor-skimming black dress, while I'd gone for the Lara Croft look - wearing a green army style skirt and vest top. Angelina told me she wished she was wearing her combat gear too because it's what she felt most comfortable in.

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