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So, tomorrow is the next Body Gossip performance and I'm putting in the final preparations - printing out the programmes, and going over my To Do list a thousand times!

Tomorrow night looks set to be AWESOME!

I'm really looking forward to it - now that we've done it once before, I think tomorrow will be even better than the first one.  All the cast are back, and we've very nearly sold out again, and this time there's going to be loads of press there too which means that those who don't see the show will read about it in the media, which is SO important to me - what's the point in having a campaign that no-one knows about?

I'm also really glad that so much of the ticket sales are going directly to Beat - 1/3 of every ticket sold will be going to the charity, which is fab. 

And the rest will go towards the next Body Gossip show, which will raise even MORE money for Beat!

If you want to go tomorrow night, there's still some tickets left - rock up to the venue at about 6:30pm and buy them on the door.

Right, now I'm off to bed cos tomorrow's gonna be a big one!

Love, Ruth x

PS. And thanks to Natalie Cassidy for her This Morning interview, Shobna Gulati for her Sun interview, Zaraah Abrahams for bigging us up on Loose Women, Mikyla Dodd for doing likewise in Now magazine, and Anne Diamond for writing about us in the Daily Mail - I feel very proud that Body Gossip has such loyal friends.  And that means you guys too - thanks for being part of this campaign and keeping up to date with it! x

With less than a week to go before Body Gossip at The Hub, tickets are selling fast - so if you'd like to see: Zaraah Abrahams, Donna-Leigh Bailey, Cerrie Burnell, Natalie Cassidy, Anne Diamond, Mikyla Dodd, Shobna Gulati, Nikki Grahame, Ewen Macintosh and Chloe Marshall perform 15 stories written by real people about their real body AND hear the amazing singer and songwriter Mis-Dee (www.myspace.com/misdeemusic) and see exclusive art by Alex Roberts (www.alexroberts.com) AND see the beautiful listed building that is The Hub (www.the-hub.net) you'd better click here NOW before tickets sell out! www.bodygossip.eventbrite.com Body Gossip Sunday 10th May @ The Hub, London, N1 9AB 7pm (Doors open 6.30pm) Performance is an hour, please come prepared to stand as it's promenade. Bar closes at 10:30pm. ONE THIRD OF YOUR TICKET PRICE WILL GO TO BEAT: www.b-eat.co.uk

Artist Alex Roberts returns to Body Gossip to exhibit her incredible, sexy paintings at The Hub.

Some paintings that have never been seen before!

Alex says:

“My work is painting based but how the work is installed is equally significant and although 2D the role of performance within the canvases and interaction with the viewer is key.

My current studio practice is concentrated on predominately working with the figure to question, capture and place human characteristics in the spotlight; outward beauty and inward temperaments that are
common to all, our relationships with each other and ourselves.

The resulting work is often humorous, contemplative, or a reminder and an insight to our own worlds no matter from which gender, race, background or religion.

Whether the paintings illustrate showgirls, transvestites or wise grandma figures and characters from the everyday that we either see in person or capture from our accessible, image overload culture of magazines,
video, film and the Internet.

In addition to looking at our current world head on, exploring painting and its process, the role of the image and portraiture, embracing clichés and the concepts of what is beauty, are just some of the matters I am
engaged with”. 

We're really lucky to have Alex at Body Gossip again - so don't forget to check out her exhibit if you're coming on May 10th!

Ruth x

SO.  We did it.  After nearly 3 years of work, of laughter, excitement, exhaustion, dismay, determination, sweat and tears - Body Gossip launched.

The first 15 winning stories were performed live by an amazing cast.

Here's the list of stars - both star cast and star writers:

Natalie Cassidy performed 'By The Time It Got To The Mantlepiece' by Aisling Bea and 'This One is For You' by Laura Nation

Natalie was so excited to be part of Body Gossip.

Paris Jefferson performed 'The Perfection Plan' by Abigail Graham

Paris was both very funny and very moving.

Nikki Grahame performed 'This is me' by Sarah Wallace

Nikki read a powerful story so similar to her own.

Shobna Gulati performed 'Good Enough To Eat' by Emily Holdsworth

Shobna performed her story with energy and passion.

Chloe Marshall performed 'My Body' by Sophie McKenzie

Chloe was beautiful in her stage debut.

Donna-Leigh Bailey performed 'Being Visible' by Lisa Parry

Donna-Leigh was so bubbly and gorgeous.

Zaraah Abrahams performed 'I'll Never Be Good Enough' by Suz Hemming

Zaraah told her story with passion and emotion.

Cerrie Burnell performed 'Beauty Unsuspected' by Athena Stevens

Cerrie's performance was both strong and intimate.

Mikyla Dodd performed 'Coming Second' by Megan Ford

Mikyla did a Meg Ryan on us - very sexy indeed!

Anne Diamond performed 'Fat Old Woman' by Delyse Phillips

Anne held the stage as she performed both her stories.

Ruth Rogers performed 'Message To My Body' by Lynsey Bowes

I stepped in because someone couldn't make it!

Ewen Macintosh performed 'Rant' by Stephen Wall

Ewen was hilarious and chatty -perfect for his 'Rant'

Chris Russell performed 'Things Will Never Be The Same Again' by Charlie Whitworth

  Chris was energetic and marvelous as he ran about!

After the show, The Art Tart showed us all her amazing painting that she had worked on during the day - this painting is for sale, with ALL proceeds going to Beat.  If you would like to put in an offer, please email ruth@bodygossip.org

The Art Tart BG painting

And the audience chatted, mingled, had photos with the stars, and danced the night away to The Lightyears (www.thelightyears.com)

I was so overwhelmed by the evening, I couldn't quite believe it had happened, and I wish I could have split myself into 2 people so I could chat to everyone.  But those I did speak to told me that they thought the evening had been emotional, powerful and inspirational - everything I had hoped.

The really exciting thing is that Body Gossip is happening AGAIN in 6 weeks time - on Sunday 10th May at The Hub.  Same cast, same scripts - missed it first time round?  Buy your tickets at www.bodygossip.eventbrite.com

QUICK - we sold out 2 weeks before the event last time, buy your tickets NOW!

And tell your friends about Body Gossip, write your storry and send it in, get involved and BODY GOSSIP!

Love, Ruth

 

 

Wow. Just wow. The first night happened last night, and I'm still buzzing. Absolutely amazing. The cast rehearsed all afternoon with their directors and we were still doing last minute preparations when the audience started arriving! But everyone did an incredible job and I don't think it could have gone any better. I want to write so much more but I'm actually so tired that I don't think I will be able to do it justice - so please check back on me in a couple of days for a full blow by blow account! Pics on their way soon too! Love, a very tired and very overwhelmed Ruth xx

If you're coming to see Body Gossip on Sunday 29th March at The Hub, you will not only get to see 15 well-known actors perform 15 real people's stories about their real bodies.

You'll also get the chance to see the stunning paintings by artist Alex Roberts.  She's exhibiting her canvases at the event - and you have the chance to buy them too!

Read more about Alex's work here.

So, I've been ill (cough).  So ill I've not managed to Body Gossip for FOUR DAYS.  This is unusual, and disturbing, seeing as there are now LESS THAN 3 WEEKS TO GO before The Big Kick Off aka. Body Gossip no.1 at The Hub, N1 (buy your tickets at www.bodygossip.eventbrite.com!)

Illness made worse with the worry that I wouldn't be able to speak during my BBC Radio interview today on the Charlie Crocker show on BBC Radio Solent.

But, I can report with great relief that I did the interview today, from a little room in London with a red microphone (with pen all over it, very odd) - and somehow, thanks to amazing technology, it sounded like I was in a studio in Hampshire!  How clever.

The interview was over very quickly so now I'm left with that odd feeling of 'Did I say everything I needed to?', and perhaps more importantly 'Did I sound like an idiot?'

Now I'm off to use my new-found health and Body Gossip like billio.

I'll post the link to the interview when they podcast it.  Then you can tell me whether or not I really did sound like an idiot...!

Love,

Ruth x

 

So, our first bit of press - how exciting!  And a double-page spread! In the Daily Mail!

Have a wee read here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1158706/Why-love-bodies-Nine-women-reveal-REALLY-feel-figures.html

Unfortunately the Body Gossip show isn't really given much of a mention, and neither is the fact we're supporting Beat, and they don't give a whiff of the beauteous celebrities that will be performing the stories - but it does show 7 of my gorgeous winning cast, being utterly brave and brilliant.

And it has already proved to be a success because I'm being interviewed on the Charlie Crocker show on BBC Radio Solent on Monday at 2:30pm - so tune in!

And hear me shoehorn in everything that wasn't mentioned in the Mail!

Love and respec', I'm off to meet a woman about Body Gossip (not a man about a dog.)

Ruth x

SO yesterday I was invited to the House of Commons to join Beat at the launch of Eating Disorders Awareness Week.  I was joined by the beautiful Chloe Marshall, and the fantastic Emma-Jane Haigh, a Body Gossip Ambassador.

The focus of the event was a report by Beat highlighting the problems that exist in primary care when dealing with eating disorders. Out of 1500 sufferers of eating disorders, only 15% felt that their doctor really understood how to deal with their eating disorder.  And we heard from 2 Beat ambassadors and their parents who told us that they visited doctors up to 10 times before the eating disorder was even diagnosed!  These are scary findings, because there are so many people out there suffering from eating disorders, and they can't even get adequate (let alone quality) health care.

As you know I'm raising money and awareness for Beat, and so it was really great to be there as a representative of Body Gossip.

And I was joined by Chloe Marshall - the size 16 model who shot to fame last year when she was crowned Miss Surrey, and she came 2nd place in the Miss England final.  She's performing one of the Body Gossip stories in the show on 29th March and she says she's really excited, but also a bit nervous!

I also met up with Emma-Jane Haigh, who is a strong supporter of both Beat and Body Gossip.  Emma-Jane and I have spoken a lot about her own eating disorder, and how - now she has recovered - she is determined to speak up about the illness.  I'm so glad she's supporting Body Gossip as she's a great speaker and incredibly passionate about celebrating realistic beauty.

As I write this I'm waiting to be interviewed by the Daily Mail - which is very exciting!

I do find it difficult though when talking about why I'm doing Body Gossip - although I had struggles as a teenager (as we all do, right?) it wasn't until I went to New York and studied film acting, aged 25, that I really felt pressurised to look a certain way.  I've always loved food, and see exercise as a way that I can enjoy it more!  But when I was in New York I did feel under pressure to lose weight - the first time I'd ever seriously felt that way since my paranoid teenage years.

It was while I was in New York that I became involved with a group of actors who wanted to create a project about body image.  They had all suffered in varying degrees from eating disorders, and talking to them made me angry and frustrated - these gorgeous women (and I'm not sucking up to them, they really are gorgeous) who had felt so far away from the images of "perfection" that they had seen on the catwalks, in the mags, in the films – that they had starved themselves to try and emulate what they saw.

This made me so angry and frustrated that I came back to the UK and launched Body Gossip – to inspire people to shout about their bodies, until their stories are heard loud and clear.

The reason I find it difficult is that I’ve never felt what these women in New York – and how so many people in the UK , and all over the world – feel.  And I worry that people might be annoyed or disillusioned that I haven’t experienced what they have.  No, I haven’t.  I’ve not had an eating disorder.  But I became close to one in New York, and I know what it’s like to feel disgusted by the fat on my body.  But then I got angry-and the result is Body Gossip!

Luckily I’m no longer angry – I’m hopeful, and excited, and inspired and moved.  I’m looking forward to seeing Body Gossip grow and grow.

And for the first time in the last two and a half years, I have a feeling it just might grow… I think Body Gossip is getting there.  And it’s a great feeling.
 

I am VERY excited to announce that the following amazing celebrities are confirmed in the cast for the first ever Body Gossip performance, on 29th March 2009 at The Hub, London:

Zaraah Abrahams
Donna-Leigh Bailey
Natalie Cassidy
Anne Diamond
Mikyla Dodd
Nikki Grahame
Shobna Gulati
Jen Hunter
Chloe Marshall

To buy tickets for Body Gossip, go to www.bodygossip.eventbrite.com

And follow me on Twitter - BodyGossipRuth!

Ruth x