Petronella Wyatt: Difference between revisions

Petronella Wyatt (born 1969) is a British journalist and author. She is the daughter of the former journalist and Labour politician, the late Lord (Woodrow) Wyatt, and his fourth wife, the Hungarian Baroness Veronica (Verushka) Banszky Von Ambroz.

Biography

Born in London, Wyatt attended St Paul's Girls' School in London before reading History at Worcester College, Oxford for a week, and then transferring and later graduating from University College, London.

She has been a weekly columnist for the Sunday Telegraph and The Spectator, of which she was deputy editor. She currently writes political interviews and main feature articles for the Daily Mail. Her interviewees have included John Major,^[1] David Blunkett,^[2] and Piers Morgan.^[3] Known for her direct and playful interview style, Wyatt got proposed Labour Minister for Women Janet Anderson to say that under a Labour Government women would be more promiscuous; and Denis Healey to regret that as the interview had gone on for so long, there was now no time for some Rumpy Pumpy.^[4]

Wyatt's television appearances include Question Time and Newsnight.

Wikipedia article

In May 2007, Private Eye reported that Wyatt had been instructed by Paul Dacre, the editor of the Daily Mail, to pen an attack on Wikipedia over the content of her entry on the site.^[5] This was published on 22 April 2007 when Wyatt admitted to writing her initial entry and then threatening to sue over vandalism to the page. She concluded the article by saying:

Education Secretary Alan Johnson may claim that Wikipedia is educational history and "a force for good". But if Wikipedia is "history", then history is indeed bunk. I suspect that Mr Johnson, perhaps, just wanted to read more about my embonpoint. Wicked-pedia!^[6]

Personal life

Wyatt, known to her friends as "Petsy," lives with her mother in St John's Wood, North London.^[7]

In 2004 British newspapers reported that she had a four year affair with Conservative MP Boris Johnson,^[7] and that after passionate cab rides around St John's Wood during which they would ask the cab driver to insert cassette tapes of Wyatt singing Puccini,^[8] Johnson had promised to leave his wife.^[9] After a break-up, they had rekindled their relationship during which Wyatt had become pregnant and then had an abortion, resulting in her mother discovering the affair and reporting it to the press.^[7]

Wyatt, whose hobby is singing and lyric-writing, loves to sing Cole Porter and her party trick, which she performed for Norman Lamont’s birthday, is singing Lili Marlene in the husky tones of Marlene Dietrich.^[10] Wyatt devised and wrote a cabaret act called Kiss and Tell with the pianist and composer Jeremy Limb, the poet Lloyd Evans and opera singer Melinda Hughes.^[11] It debuted at London club Volstead in November 2007.^[12]

Publications

• Father, dear Father: Life with Woodrow Wyatt, Hutchinson, London, 1999. ISBN 0-09-929760-4

References