BalanceSeptember2016 - 25
T H E B I G I N TERVIEW
W HAT A GE N T:
DAV I D'S C L A S SI C
LOND ON
H A NGOU TS
❶
The Beaumont
- Brown Hart
Gardens
It's like stepping into the
1950s. The décor is Ralph
Lauren-inspired and the
service is impeccable.
I walk in and they say 'Mr
Gandy. Gin and tonic and
The Telegraph?'. I'm like,
'I love this place, I'm
never leaving!'
❷
before attending university, now works closely
with Jaguar, recently got his racing licence,
restored a 1960s Mercedes 190 SL and has
started work on two other classics. Behind the
wheel, says David, is where he's most relaxed.
As 'the worst sleeper in the world', the model
thinks meditation could calm his overactive
brain: 'There's a million things going on in my
head. I constantly wake up and think "That's
an amazing idea!" People ask, "Did you really
send me an email at 2.30am?"'
In those wee hours Netflix is his go-to
distraction. He's ploughed through Michael
Dobbs' House Of Cards trilogy, real-life thriller
Making A Murderer, tons of Sopranos repeats
and the first two series of Homeland.
'If you don't sleep, it's great. You can get
through a good few episodes. I'm like, "It's
4am, I've got to be up in two hours, I can get
through another one!"' laughs David.
'It was the same with the Olympics. It was
amazing to see what we achieved out in
Rio. Post-Brexit, if anything proved that we
Brown's Hotel
- 33 Albemarle St
I love anything to do with
Winston Churchill and
the politician was such a
regular there that he said:
'I never stay in hotels. I
stay at Brown's.' During
World War Two, Churchill
had his own bunker built
under the Donovan Bar
- it now serves a Winston
Churchill Martini.
❸
Burlington Arcade
and Royal Arcade
I always tell visitors to
have a wander around
London. These arcades
are precursors of the
modern-day shopping
centre and we're
very privileged to
have them.
September BALANCE
should unite as Great Britain and not look for
increased separation, the Olympics is it. Our
athletes have done amazingly well.'
If modelling were an Olympic sport, David
would certainly be draped in gold medals.
He's fired by an unshakable desire to achieve
perfection, but we point out that perfectionism
has plenty of negative connotations...
'I don't know why. I will push and push and
push to achieve the best I can,' defends David,
adding that he inherited his fierce work ethic
from his now-retired parents, who ran a freight
company and property business in Florida.
'They taught me that you don't get given
anything in life, you work for it. I don't do
things by halves. It's about putting in 110%.'
LOOKS OF LOVE
That's surely good news for David's new
girlfriend, junior barrister Stephanie Mendoros,
who came on the scene after he split from The
Saturdays singer Mollie King in February. Five
months in, is Stephanie The One?
'She is someone very special in my life, but
it's private and that's one thing I always keep to
myself,' he says, side-stepping the question.
He talks fondly of his five nieces and
nephews; so when will he be ready for kids
of his own? 'I think I probably am ready,' he
smiles. 'I love children and dogs and I will have,
one day, lots of both.'
During our conversation, David reveals a
handful of memories from his own childhood
that suggest he had a privileged start in life.
For example, he tells how his parents whisked
him and his elder sister on intrepid, nature
-packed adventures: 'Mum and Dad educated
me and my sister through travel. We've been
to the Galapagos Islands, we've trekked to see
gorillas in Uganda, been to Alaska to see brown
bears. We were very fortunate, but at 18 you
don't realise how much.'
He does now. A few months ago at a celebrity
function, the model spent time swapping
stories with broadcaster David Attenborough.
'Everything he had done, I had done,' says
David. 'I called my dad and said: "I've just had
the most incredible conversation with David
Attenborough. I should thank you again now".'
After spending a few hours in his company,
it's clear David's staying power in a notoriously
fickle industry - where younger, more beautiful
men constantly chase his shadow - lies in his
warm character and dedication to his own
brand, not just his looks. B
David Gandy is the new ambassador for
Vitabiotics Wellman. (Wellman.co.uk)
25
http://Wellman.co.uk
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BalanceSeptember2016
BalanceSeptember2016 - 1
BalanceSeptember2016 - 2
BalanceSeptember2016 - 3
BalanceSeptember2016 - 4
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