When We're Together (Damon Albarn)

Chapter Eight

Monday 2nd October 2006

As soon as I awoke this morning I was a woman on a mission. I had gotten each of the children up, dressed, fed, watered and dropped off at school in record time, which meant it was straight onto the tube and off to Regents street.

It was Missy's seventh birthday tomorrow and Damon and I had been incredibly unorganised which had led to me having to visit Hamley's in the hope of finding some presents for her. All before I was due at the television centre to record my first episode of Loose Women. The more I thought about it, the more I wished I hadn't agreed to it, I was doubting every reason I had for doing it, being on a chat show really wasn't my thing at all. However, the producers had decided to have me as an interviewed guest today, rather than a panellist. Whilst I didn't particularly enjoy being interviewed, especially when I hadn't done anything recently to talk about, I was grateful for it as it meant I had no obligation to continue if I didn't enjoy it.

I stepped into Hamley's and sighed, I had absolutely no idea what to get her. Damon was always better at things like this, but he was wrapped up in meetings all day which meant that the responsibility fell onto my shoulders. Over the past year she had gone through so many phases of certain toys and interests that I'd struggled to keep up and I actually wasn't entirely sure what she currently liked. The one thing she did keep a steady interest in though, was creative things. She always had her head in a book or was sat drawing away on a piece of paper. Deciding that that was the best route to go down, I tried my best to navigate to that area of the store.

I quickly scanned the shelves putting anything I thought she'd enjoy into the trolley. Damon's words of 'don't go overboard' were ringing in the back of my head, but I couldn't help it. By the time I had reached the tills the trolley was worryingly full. We tried our best not to spoil the children but ultimately, we weren't very good at it. We did try to counterbalance that by letting them know how lucky and privileged they are.

I thanked the cashier before leaving with my two rather large bags, I wasn't looking forward to having to carry them around with me all day, but there wasn't really much I could do about it. It was my own fault for buying a few too many presents for her.

I hailed down a cab and asked them to go to the television centre. The closer we got to the studio, the more nervous I grew, I wasn't sure what questions they were going to ask and I didn't even know what I was going to tell them.

The drive was over far too quickly and I was signed in and in hair and makeup before I knew it. This was the only part of the day I was looking forward to, it wasn't often I got to get properly made up. Considering how much I really didn't want to do this interview, all of the preparations went by in the blink of an eye and I was being lead onto the set before I knew it. I quickly checked my phone before I left it in the dressing room and smiled at what I saw lighting up the screen.

Damon

Deep breaths, you'll absolutely smash it. I'm so so proud of you  D xxx

I put my phone down before taking a deep breath and heading out onto the set, I'd done hundreds of interviews by now, so what was the worst that could really happen?

"Joining us today we have an all-round incredible woman. She has thirteen top ten hits, four BRIT awards, she was the front woman of blur and has since been deemed as the party girl of the nineties. It's Eliza Albarn"

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, trying to keep my laughter to a minimum, I certainly wasn't as interesting as she just made me out to be.

"So for those who may not know you're married to fellow blur frontman Damon Albarn, who has been taking the world by storm with his new virtual band Gorillaz and you have three children together" I nodded my head, letting a smile spread across my face.