The author and presenter on her heroic auntie, being addicted to chips, and the scary gift she’ll leave her kids
Born in Scotland, Dawn O’Porter, 47, studied at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. She began her career in TV production and during the 00s presented documentaries including Super Slim Me and My Breasts Could Kill Me. In 2014, her debut YA novel, Paper Aeroplanes, was shortlisted for the Waterstones children’s book prize. Her first novel for adults, The Cows, was published in 2017 and became a bestseller. Her new book is Hungry Eyes: A Memoir of Appetite, Ambition and the Odd Bag of Wotsits for Dinner. She lives in London with her husband, the actor Chris O’Dowd, and their two children.
When were you happiest?
The early days of motherhood. We lived in a sweet little bungalow in LA that had a pool. We threw lots of parties. We had a cute dog and a mad Siamese. Trump had never been president, we’d never heard of coronavirus, Claire’s Accessories was still going strong. Good times.