Nicola Charles Talks About Her Upcoming Book “Soap Star” And Finding Love In 2021
Hi Nicola, first of all, congrats on getting through 2020, what a year! I know you also used to live in LA — what do you think about all the stuff affiliated with Covid and lockdowns there?
Thank you. I am absolutely devastated to see what is going on in Los Angeles and the appalling handling of this Pandemic by Gavin Newsom. I have three friends who have already left LA, two back to Europe and one to Vegas, and another leaving soon. The mainstream media aren’t showing the tent cities on the streets but I find the news from my trusted sites. I lived in Los Angeles from November 2005 to February 2012, and it was a totally different place then. When friends in London knew we were moving to LA they were so jealous and begged to come visit. Now it just feels like LA is done and the lure of Hollywood and all the promise it used to bring has been demolished.
It makes me wonder how those who paid massive premiums for homes there in Bel Air and Beverly Hills etc, feel about the place now. I know the smart ones who had farms in Montana and places more rural, so maybe they’ve just gone there. It’s the kind of decline we saw with Detroit and it illustrates perfectly how those we blindly vote into office are simply not qualified to do their jobs. I was so excited when Barrack Obama was voted into office, now with hindsight, I see things became much worse in America once he became President. Very disappointing. We vote for politicians based on how personable we feel they are, or their promised platforms (which are rarely delivered) and I think until we consider voting in proven businessmen, or those with success in running large operations, things will never change. Many politicians have never owned or run a business, Joe Biden hasn’t, and yet still we hand them the keys to the Castle. I find that concerning.
How do you feel about the travel restrictions happening due to the pandemic?
I am not someone who is likely to be affected by the travel restrictions due to the Pandemic. I absolutely hate flying because I did it for 15 years as a model and actor and each flight brought me more and more anxiety. I don’t like crowds, I don’t like small spaces, I don’t like being trapped and I watch too many air disaster documentaries — so I’m fine with it. I am aware though that should my family need me in the UK I may feel differently. As a Brit, Australia was always the number one holiday destination, and here I am living here each day. I feel very lucky. I’m something of a hermit so while I appreciate it, it sucks for those who like to travel. However, I’m coping just fine.
How is Australia looking right now with the numbers and how is your family doing in the UK?
Australia, like America, has been affected very differently state by state. We were slammed here in Victoria last year and went through 111 days of lockdown. Again I didn’t mind as I had people I loved around me at the time. We were at zero cases and hoped we were free and clear — but it appears a third wave is on the way after, you guessed it, those highly qualified politicians failed to lock the Victorian border down quickly enough when NSW had an outbreak. Now the numbers are rising again daily. In the UK touch wood, my family, who live in a rural part of England have so far been okay, though urgent surgeries were dangerously delayed due to the Pandemic, and that was a little frightening.
What have you learned the most about yourself during this time and have you picked up any new hobbies?
I’ve learned most about myself that I am happier living a small life. I’m not saying I don’t want the option to do things like travel etc, but I am not someone who is missing bars and clubs. It would be nice to eat at a restaurant without fear of transmission, but I don’t feel ready to do that yet. I wouldn’t stay in Hotels yet in Australia, or go to the movies, I just don’t feel it’s safe. Remember I had Covid-19 in March and so even though I believe the Pandemic of Fear to be greater than the Pandemic of Covid, I am also ideally placed to understand the risks. Especially as my GP informed me this week that I could actually catch it again, as so many months have passed.
That’s not something I want to happen. I struggled the first time. My new hobby is feeding the wild birds. We have flocks of cockatoos, cockatiels and parrots all around and they have adopted my house as ground zero for seed and bread. They are feisty little things and bite your shoes if you don’t feed them quickly enough. It’s quite comical but mostly therapeutic and relaxing.
You don’t have to answer this question, but what about your love life? Are you single? If so, what do you look for in a partner?
Sadly I am single again yes. It was very unexpected but I’m trying to make the best of it. 2020 has taught me that you can’t rely on anybody other than yourself and that’s a little sad. I am very much a fatalist so I leave it up to the universe and right now she doesn’t have my back. Or does she? I guess we’ll find out. Heartbreak is certainly not my favorite state of being, so I am taking it one day at a time. What do I look for in a partner? Geez I don’t really have a type. Kindness I like. Being humble. Someone who doesn’t need to shout about who they are. Looks wise I don’t have a type, but I do like nice legs hahaha. If he doesn’t come along then I am happy to be alone forever. My faith in love is somewhat shattered.
What would a perfect date night look for you?
If I tell you my perfect date night, I’ll never get a date! It’s not super exciting, as I’m very private, and quite a boring Capricorn. You see I need to really love who a person is, that’s what makes me want to spend the time with them, so I don’t need glamorous trappings on a date — I just need to hear them speak and like who they are. A meal in front of the open fire and lots of sex is kind of my speed. A drink or two! The problem is I need to know someone for a very long time to trust them. I’m not a Tinder person who hooks up, nothing is less attractive to me than that. The sheer fact that someone has a profile on there would put me off to be honest. I like humble men who don’t need to shout about what they’ve got going on.
Tell us about your upcoming book “Soap Star”? Was that Sarah Beaumont inspired?
No “Soap Star” was not Sarah Beaumont inspired it was Nicola Charles inspired. It’s my Autobiography not a fiction novel. This one is all TRUTH. It’s a lot of fun remembering the journey from Worcestershire to London to Australia, back to London, then to Los Angeles and eventually back to Melbourne. There is advice about the industry and anecdotes about what worked and what didn’t in entertainment. Yes, at the request of fans I will be talking about lots of “Neighbours” though I won’t be naming names — I will leave those assumptions up to the readers. It’s dawning on me that for someone who likes a boring and quiet life, I’ve actually had quite an exciting and unusual one.
Lastly, what would you like to say to the readers about staying positive during these uncertain times?
Firstly let me say that it IS really hard to stay positive right now! It truly seems like good is bad and bad is good and that can be destabilizing for us. We have a US President Elect supported by those who wish reparations for slavery who don’t care that Joe Biden and his son and brother are in business with China, who still engage in slavery in 2020. I find it most bizarre. Hypocrisy reigns with much of it coming from Hollywood Amber, I’m afraid to say. The high taxes and policies to release dangerous criminals in the USA at the moment won’t ever touch the Hollywood and media elites as they keep their money off-shore and live with armed security details twenty-four hours a day. Yet they want everyone else to live with those things.
It’s the reason I call the place ‘Hypocritewood’ and have already begun the fiction novel of that title. As for the rest of us, I think I would ask people to remember that being a regular person might actually be better. For one it is a more authentic existence. You don’t have to follow the dollars the way money hungry celebs do, you can speak your truth and practice what you preach. Anyone ‘owned’ can’t do that. I would ask them to remember that though life is painful it is short! And to enjoy the simple pleasures that mean the most to us all. Hugging those we love. Snuggling down on the couch to watch a movie, though my advice these days is to switch that up to docos and learn as much as you can about the current issues.
Walk in the countryside and watch the seasons change. Eat the food and drink the wine and for those of us who were lucky enough to grow up before this hideous reset, give thanks for that. I have three children and their childhoods don’t look anything like mine. They’ve adapted, but it still breaks my heart. As I explain in my Autobiography, animals can be a great comfort, and I know that puppy sales exploded during the lockdown period here, even I couldn’t find any! My life like so many others has changed exponentially, but I am embracing it. The loss of my radio show, my career in general, which has been very hard for a Capricorn to take, has changed who I am, but I am making the best of it.
And for those of faith, faith of any kind, mine is in the universe, we must choose to believe that things will get better, and ‘Hope’ is a very valuable thing. And lastly that though this situation is horrendous, we are sharing this experience, and I pray that at the end of it people will be there for each other more. Selfishness won’t work in the age of Covid, please consider others. If you come across someone grumpy, assume they have some horrible stuff going on in their lives and be the bigger person. In difficult situations I try to be the grown up. There are many good people out there, people who don’t believe the media lies, they believe what their eyes and ears tell them. Stay frosty.
Nicola Charles on instagram @nicolacharles66
Nicola Charles on twitter @nicola1charles
