{"id":70645,"date":"2023-11-25T14:22:46","date_gmt":"2023-11-25T14:22:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geels.net\/?p=70645"},"modified":"2023-11-25T14:22:46","modified_gmt":"2023-11-25T14:22:46","slug":"people-would-shout-and-spit-in-the-street-gok-wan-on-his-parents-interracial-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geels.net\/beauty\/people-would-shout-and-spit-in-the-street-gok-wan-on-his-parents-interracial-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"People would shout and spit in the street: Gok Wan on his parents interracial marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"

When he\u2019s not giving women a confidence boost or mixing DJ decks at nightclubs, Gok Wan can be seen sharing his top cooking tips and fashion advice with viewers on This Morning \u2013 so naturally, you would assume he\u2019d be the perfect candidate to step into the shoes of former hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby. <\/p>\n

But the multitalented TV personality, who found fame with How To Look Good Naked back in 2006, would much prefer to stick to his regular guest slot than front the popular daytime show. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve hosted the show before and I\u2019m not very good at it,\u201d Gok, 49, tells new<\/b>. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m much better at the cooking and the fashion and all the other stuff they let me do.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Modesty is at Gok\u2019s core. He was awarded an MBE in 2021 for his services to fashion and social awareness and most recently received the Role Model Award at the Investing In Ethnicity Awards. <\/p>\n

But he laughs off being called a national treasure and prefers to call himself a \u201cnational bit of furniture that\u2019s been around for a while\u201d.<\/p>\n

Helping people is at the heart of his work and he loves it. \u201cPeople tell me a lot of things,\u201d he explains. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think I have one of those faces where people can\u2019t help but tell me about their lives. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the idea that someone might tell me their story \u2013 that happens a lot. It\u2019s a good thing.\u201d <\/p>\n

Born to an English mother and a Chinese father, Gok grew up working alongside his parents at their restaurant, The Bamboo House, in Leicester. <\/p>\n

But there were \u201ctough times\u201d, and his mother \u201clived off peanut butter\u201d because they couldn\u2019t afford to eat during the early stages of running a new business. <\/p>\n

These days, it\u2019s his mum, Myra, and dad, John, who are his role models. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mum and dad were told in the 1960s when they got together that their love would never last,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople would spit at them, and say they were wrong because they were born in different countries. But you know what, Mum and Dad? You showed them! <\/p>\n

\u201cThey went through a huge amount when they got together, but they believed in their love and they\u2019ve been together over 50 years now.\u201d <\/p>\n

Following in their footsteps, defiant Gok is \u201cproud\u201d to represent his ethnicity on screen. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard quite a few people say, \u2018Until you burst onto our screens, there weren\u2019t people who looked like me,\u201d he explains. <\/p>\n

"There were very few people who looked like me and my family. I love the idea that I can be a representation in the community. I\u2019m really proud. <\/p>\n

"I go to work every day and I just happen to do my work on screen and in the public eye. They get to say, \u2018Oh, that person looks like me\u2019 or, \u2018That person has a similar upbringing or traditions to me.\u2019 It feels great.\u201d <\/p>\n

It was Gok\u2019s struggle with his own confidence and identity that has no doubt played a part in his ability to relate to viewers.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Opening up to the Loose Women panel in 2017 about his battle with anorexia, Gok said, \u201cI was bullied and fat and not feeling like I fitted in.\u201d <\/p>\n

Later, in 2019, the star penned an emotional post about his struggles hoping it would help those suffering with their own self-confidence issues. <\/p>\n

Describing himself as a \u201cfat child\u201d, Gok revealed he started a diet at the age of 21 and within a year \u201chad lost almost half of my body weight\u201d.<\/p>\n

Living off \u201cno more than a couple of teaspoons of honey\u201d a day, Gok said it was \u201cthe loneliest place I had been to\u201d. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

He wrote, \u201cI wanted to die because I knew I was sick and I didn\u2019t know how to stop the voices in my head telling me I was ugly, fat and not good enough.\u201d <\/p>\n

Thankfully, Gok recovered, but he urged his followers to talk more so that there would be \u201cone less young person looking at their reflection wanting to be anyone other than themselves\u201d. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s also credited his past for his success \u2013 particularly as host of How To Look Good Naked. <\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that being an overweight teenager also helped me to do the show and it made me into the person I am,\u201d he said previously. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have lived on both sides of the spectrum; I have been morbidly obese, I have been anorexically thin and suffered from anxiety. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo when a person says, \u2018I don\u2019t feel good enough or unattractive,\u2019 I go back to that place and it makes me compassionate and empathetic.\u201d <\/p>\n

Gok is now hopeful for a future with acceptance and inclusion for all. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere is hope and I truly believe we will get there one day,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

If you are struggling and need someone to talk to, call Samaritans free on 116 123 <\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n