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Home arrow Book Reviews
Biography

BELINDA JONES 
Belinda Jones
 
 
 
PERSONAL

On December 20th 1967 a quite spectacularly plump baby Sagittarius came into the world (well, Tunbridge Wells, Kent to be precise) and was named Belinda Cheryl Jones.

I requested a move to Oxford age 1, lived among the dreaming spires until I was 14 then moved to Exeter in Devon for O levels, A levels and cream teas. At 19 I relocated to London and loitered there for 10 years or so until the happier skies of California tempted me to live in Los Angeles, where I currently reside.

Mother Pamela worked in PR, father Trefor (that’s the Welsh spelling!) was a marketing director, both are now retired. Younger brother Gareth resides in the cutie coastal town of Teignmouth and works as a landscape gardener in winter and a lifeguard in summer.

MAGAZINES

My first paid job in journalism was on cult kiddy comic Postman Pat. I’m proud to say I introduced punks to Greendale but I’m thoroughly ashamed of my bogus cookery page, which garnered several written complaints.

At 20 I became Feature Writer on Woman’s World - a now defunct monthly glossy. Highlights included lunch with Nicholas Parsons, the Most Romantic Man competition and playing pool with the man whose poster I used to kiss every night as a teenager – Trevor Eve. (He was such a hottie in Shoestring.)

My four years on staff at more! magazine were some of the happiest in my life. Male model and stripper features were my speciality. (I sometimes think these two things may be connected.) Things truly peaked when I produced, scripted and co-presented the fabulous Mr more! 94 male model contest, held at London’s Hippodrome nightclub. The event featured 14 contestants, a fashion show with six professional models and four dancers, two pop acts, a performance by six male strippers and a panel of eight celebrity judges including Daniella Westbrook and Jenny Éclair!

I was also Travel Editor and most definitely got around: Sweden to find the next Marcus Schenkenberg; Surfers Paradise, Queensland for a male stripper calendar shoot; Cannes to gate-crash as many movie beach parties as possible, Brighton to contrast Dirty Weekends at the Grand Hotel and a tacky B&B.

One year I was nominated for EMAP Columnist of the Year (but lost to Roy Hudd!) for my Celebrity Date features with stars including Will Smith, Noah Wyle and Hulk Hogan, oddly one of the biggest swoons of all!

Then I went freelance and wrote hundreds of pieces on dating, love, men, music and travel for magazines including: Elle, FHM, SKY, J17, 19, Smash Hits (on board the Backstreet Boys tour bus), Big, Bliss, Looks, Minx, Company, Cosmopolitan, For Women, Wedding & Home (Caribbean honeymoon cruise – I took my mum) and Sunday Magazine (eg: working in a Glaswegian sex shop for a day).

 

In April 1997 I moved to Los Angeles and focused on movie stories for Empire magazine interviewing the likes of Ben Stiller, Antonio Banderas, Jennifer Lopez and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Plus I wrote a series of dating features for New Woman including How To Marry Rich and I’ve Always Fancied You! which involved confessing my feelings to men I had always yearned for – such liberating humiliation!

 

BOOKS

Peter Andre Official Biography (BWA, 1997)

Peter Andre Annual (GrandDreams, 1997)

Divas Las Vegas (Arrow, April 2001)

I Love Capri (Arrow, July 2002)

The California Club (Arrow, July 2003)

On The Road To Mr Right (Arrow, July 2004)

The Paradise Room (Arrow, July 2005)

Cafe Tropicana (Arrow, July 2006)

 

RADIO

For my A level Communication Studies project I chose to make three radio programmes – careers advice on how to become a pop star, model and journalist! This was broadcast on DevonAir radio and led to my own weekly Pop Gossip slot and gig reviews etc.

On Woman’s World magazine I conducted all the regional and national radio interviews promoting the newsworthy and quirky features in each issue.

Then, while freelancing in the Just 17 office, I became Agony Aunt on Chris Evans’ weekly GLR show The Greenhouse offering teens advice. He was a peach to me but totally unpredictable – all rather exhilarating!

 

TELEVISION

While on more! I was invited to appear on Good Morning with Anne & Nick – as a ‘kissing expert’. I was blindfold and accidentally grabbed Nick but they asked me back! I rattled on about leap year marriage proposals, enhancing your sex appeal and reading body language!

I was also an ‘expert’ guest on The Big Breakfast and Channel 5’s Five Company.

In 1997 I co-produced a syndicated Baywatch documentary setting up and conducting all 14 interviews with the cast and crew in Los Angeles. Shortly after I moved into a house in West Hollywood with Jaason Simmons (the Aussie bad boy). We had a hammock tied to a palm tree in the back garden – I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. We were just friends, mind – I’m not that lucky.

 

FILM

In 1998 I worked as unit publicist for David Brooks’ short film Member starring Pearl Harbour's Josh Hartnett (I know!!).

Divas Las Vegas was in movie development with Sir Elton John’s Rocket Pictures (FYI David Furnish is a total fox!) but is now AVAILABLE again!

AND NOW

Currently researching my sixth novel - THE LOVE ACADEMY - returning to Italy only this time to Venice and George Clooney-adjacent Como.

FAVOURITES

MY FAVOURITE MOVIES:
 
Thelma & Louise, Roman Holiday, Dirty Dancing, Dead Poet's Society, Something's Gotta Give, Renaissance Man, Lost In Translation, Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Pink Panther

MY FAVOURITE MUSIC

Doris Day, Andy Williams, Barry White, Neil Diamond, Tom Jones, Prince
 
GRANT LANGSTON
Witty and studly alternative country dude from Alabama performs regularly in LA with his band The Supermodels, featuring New magazine Hollywood gossip columnist Tony Horkins on drums - how fabulously bizarre is that?





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