How Jaime Winstone spends ANYDAY

Jaime Winston
Hannah Verdier

The interview series that discovers how stars really live. This time: actress and podcaster Jaime Winstone

What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
I have a coffee. Annoyingly, I only started drinking it a year ago, but since my schedule’s been so busy I’ve had to succumb to the caffeine. I’ll do some stretches and try to do a 10-minute meditation. I have to check in with my diary – I’m a real Virgo and I love writing lists and ticking boxes. I’m very focused during the day, but when the sun goes down, I get a different energy.

What’s your most used emoji? Who did you last WhatsApp and what did you say?
I’m a bit of an emoji queen, really. Sometimes it’s the easiest way to explain my brain purge. I use the lightning-bolt emoji a lot – for me, it represents cool and I use it with the prayer or the fire heart. My last WhatsApp was arranging a night out at the English National Opera (ENO) to see Puccini’s Tosca for my friend who just got engaged. Sophisticated, I know!

Describe the style of your home in five words
Cosy, colourful, considered chaos. I like a lot of things, but I’m a very tidy person. We live in a farmhouse, so it’s really traditional and I love the views and country walks. It’s a very creative space – I’ve got a music room and a beautiful garden. There’s a kind of regal theme that happens in my front room: old-English style mixed in with new rave! I’ll add the word ‘sanctuary’ as well, because it’s a canvas for us all to feel comfortable at home. 

What do you have too much – and too little – of?
I can never have enough candles – I always seem to go through them quite quickly. And I definitely have too many clothes and shoes. It’s a problem! There’s a constant filter going on. When you’ve got children, you empty that washing basket and then you turn around and it’s full again.

What does an average day at home look like for you?
I’ve got to that point where cleaning can be therapeutic. When you’re a working mum you really appreciate things like a home-cooked meal and listening to music. Housework is always done to a Beyoncé album or an old mix that I haven’t listened to in a while. If I get a day at home, it’ll be housework, a bit of yoga and cooking a nice meal.

What’s for lunch?
I love a traditional prawn cocktail when I’m at home. It’s quick and easy and it doesn’t feel too naughty.

What’s the weirdest thing we’d find in your kitchen?
We live near a wood, so my son’s always bringing back animal skulls. That’s pretty weird. My son’s six, so he’s really interested in insects and animals. I like to encourage that behaviour, but I’m not gonna lie – it’s gross. At the moment, mummy dearest is being a bit of a witch and cleaning them.

Jaime Winston

I love photos of friends from the days before phones didn’t exist, where you’d have a camera and go and get them developed – they feel so much more special

Jaime Winston,-actor and podcaster

Can we wear shoes in your house?
Yes, as long as they’re not full of mud. I have to push my son to wear shoes as he’s very feral, so the real problem is dirty feet, but we do love a slipper in this house. No wellies, though, because I’m kind of religiously against them. You can’t dance in them, they’re uncomfortable and they’re restrictive.

What would you save if your house was on fire? And what would you be glad got burned to a crisp?
This is a really hard question! I’d keep my photo album. I remember losing a computer about 10 years ago and the most heartbreaking thing was all the photos on it that I couldn’t replace. I love photos of friends from the days before phones didn’t exist, where you’d have a camera and go and get them developed – they feel so much more special. There are definitely a few pieces in my wardrobe I would be distraught if I lost, too, like my Vivienne Westwood suit and a few headpieces that I couldn’t bear to part with.

What would I let go? This is hard for a controlled hoarder… probably some old furniture. I get so emotionally attached to standing objects, but there’s an old red couch I have in the basement that my partner hates, so I’d happily say goodbye to that.

Do you have pictures of yourself in your house?
There are lots of family photos around the house. I also have an icon wall with pictures of Nick Cave, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed and David Bowie, plus original film stills, including one of my dad [Ray Winstone] in Scum, which I love. 

Got any subscriptions?
Lots, annoyingly. My new favourite one is Disney+ because it’s really great for kids and also shows National Geographic documentaries. My son and I are watching Alien Worlds on Netflix at the moment. It’s hard to get them into any documentaries at that age, but I’ll watch anything to pull him away from Garfield.

Where’s your happy place?
It sounds quite unoriginal, but my garden, under my cherry tree. We’ve managed to swing a vintage disco ball from it, which has survived winter and summer. It’s a magical spot and the cherries are really tasty, too. I love it.

Can you keep a plant alive?
I can, but only outside. This year, it was quite heartbreaking due to the heat and the drought, so everyone suffered with their lawns. I realise that, in the bigger picture, we’re not the ones suffering really, but it’s nice to see the green come back with the rain. Indoors, I’m not that successful because as soon as the sun goes down I’m a heating-on girl. We’ve managed to keep a few important ones alive, but it’s so hard.

What’s on your bed? And on your bedside table?
I’ve got a beautiful John Lewis throw and a super-cosy comforter on my bed. On my bedside table is a gorgeous Le Labo Santal 26 candle, which was a present from Grimmy [Nick Grimshaw]. It says: ‘For a glorious podcaster’ on it, which was from one of the first reviews of my podcast. It’s stunning, but you have to nip that wick every time you burn it. I’ve also got some crystals, a few books and an incense holder from my partner’s new shop, Are You Mad in London’s Carnaby Street, which creates art from plastic waste. The holder’s made from recycled plastic, but it looks like condensed marble. 


Jaime Winstone's Greatest Night Ever podcast is part of the Acast creator network 

 

Photos: Sammy King; Makeup: Molly Whitely; Hair: Hiro Kikato

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