WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE HOLIDAY?
In 1995 my parents acquired the Eden Rock hotel in St Barths as a holiday home when it had just four rooms.
They kept it on as a hotel purely because of its history – it had been host to Howard Hughes and Greta Garbo and all sorts of amazing people.
My parents named rooms after them; now there’s 34 in total. Sadly, Eden Rock took a bit of a bashing during Hurricane Irma last September and is currently being renovated.
In 1995, everything was very surf shack-y and really cheap (drinks were a quid) and slowly but surely, influential people have bought land there and it’s grown into an absolute powerhouse.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR WORST EVER HOLIDAY?
I’ve had a few trips to Tanzania. The first time I went two years ago I was doing some charity work for an organisation called Projects Abroad, working at an orphanage.
I went on my own and was staying with a doctor who had 11 children in a brick house in a busy town.
They were wealthy but, at the risk of sounding pompous, there was no fan or electricity, it was boiling hot and I had no sleep for a week.
There was also a shower directly over the toilet so I had to get clean standing on the loo. I got involved in a breakdancing tournament with some locals and completely ripped one of my shoulders out of its socket, which added to the sleepless nights.
In Tanzania I’m trying to develop a scholarship scheme where children who are keen to excel are given the chance to go to boarding school.
I fund the schooling of a little girl called Pendo and her five friends, whose ages range from three to seven and I fly out to see them once a year.
When Pendo reaches 18, she’ll be given a choice to go to university. I want her to be whatever she wants to be, whether that’s a doctor or a lawyer or a bricklayer.
She can do what she wants. My advice to anyone going to Tanzania is to do it properly and try to not take on the locals at break dancing… they’re quite good.
HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR TIME ON HOLIDAY?
Now, it’s less about nightclubs and full moon parties. On holiday I always squeeze in some exercise.
It depends on the type of holiday but we went to Koh Samui in Thailand last November and worked out twice a day; kickboxing in the morning and then doing something else.
Tanning and relaxation is also a big part of the day, as is food and if we’re by the sea, I just love seafood.
BEST HOLIDAY READ?
I’m half way through Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, which is a semi-autobiographical tale of a man who hides in Bombay after escaping a high security prison in Australia. I’m more a box set and movie buff, which I’ll watch on my iPad on holiday.
BEST SOUVENIR?
A little elephant Pendo carved for me out of green rock. She gave it to me on my last trip last March and it sits on my bedside table.
WHERE’S NEXT?
Vogue and I are toying with the idea of going to Verbier in Switzerland.
We’d stay with our pal Warren Smith, our coach on The Jump, who’s a professional skiing instructor and all-round fun dude.
I was a snowboarder before The Jump, especially in Les Diablerets, so I was familiar with the mountains and the feel of snow under my feet, but had never put ski boots on.
● Five Star Hotel is on nightly on E4 from Monday March 12.
