MOST MEMORABLE HOLIDAY?
My first trip to Africa in 2001.
I started in Malindi on the coast of Kenya, then went on safari in the Masai Mara. Malindi was beautiful, the sea is crystal clear and for some strange reason there’s a big Italian influence. The locals speak to you in Italian. I stayed at a house called the Lion In The Sun, which is owned by Flavio Briatore and is now a boutique hotel. All the rooms had swimming pools, it was amazing.
Then I flew on to the Seychelles for New Year’s Eve on a private island. It was very tropical, wild and green, and so different to what I’d experienced before on other islands elsewhere. It was almost like being in the jungle.
AND YOUR WORST?
Three years ago I went to New York for Fashion Week and got caught in a huge storm.
At first, I thought, ‘Oh that looks so pretty’, then it turned from a little baby snowstorm into a gigantic thing called a polar vortex. The airports were closed so nobody could leave so I had to camp at a friend’s hotel as all the hotels were busy and everyone was stranded. I’ve never experienced anything like it.
When I eventually got back to California I felt like I was defrosting myself.
BEST SOUVENIR?
A hand-carved wooden table from Malindi, Kenya.
It’s really cute and has got animals carved into it. I remember flying back with it all wrapped up on the aeroplane. I still have it in my living room.
BEST BOOK?
I find reading very therapeutic, so I’m very much a person who likes to sit on the beach with a book.
My favourites are The Beach by Alex Garland, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien – it’s a classic.
HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR TIME ON HOLIDAY?
Swimming, horse riding and exploring.
The Himalayas and Vietnam are on my to-do list because, as much as laying on a beach is amazing, it can get boring after a while.
WHERE WOULD YOU REVISIT?
The Perhentian Islands in the South China Sea.
I visited on my gap year and I’d be interested to go back to see if it’s changed. While we were travelling around Thailand and Malaysia we found all these strings of islands, but this one was particularly beautiful.
We got a coach from Kuala Lumpur that took 12 hours and then a rickety old boat before arriving at this island where there was no electricity or running water. We stayed for a couple of weeks. I loved it.
WHERE ARE YOU OFF TO NEXT?
I’m going to Barbados at Christmas.
It’s an island that I have many fond memories of and always love going back to. There will be lots of beach time, swimming and jet skiing.
Catch Lady Victoria in Celebrity Showmance, Wednesday nights at 9pm on ITV2.
