Dawn O’Porter on her new memoir
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk with Aviva Insurance.
What inspired Dawn O'Porter to write her memoir 'Hungry Eyes'?
I am delighted to be joined by our next guest, author, TV personality, Dawn O'Porter, who's here today to talk about her lovely new memoir, Hungry Eyes. Dawn, you are very welcome to the show. Thank you so much. Thank you. I had the pleasure of reading the memoir over the weekend and I have to say, I think women of a certain vintage, when they hear hungry eyes, think of a certain movie and a certain character and a certain song, which has been in my head since Friday.
How did the title 'Hungry Eyes' come about?
Was that intentional?
No.
It was intentional, but up until about four minutes before the cover went to print, the book was called What I Bring to the Table. And then we were just discussing on email. I said, I'm going to post the cover on Instagram and I'm going to use the song Hungry Eyes, which would also have been a great name for this book. And the whole email chain just kind of goes quiet for about 10 minutes as we're like, oh God, that is such a good name for this book. And then the art department did a very quick turnaround and we still made the announcement on time, but with an entirely different title. And I'm so happy we did it. Wow.
What role did food play in Dawn's relationship with her mother?
So it was literally a very last minute thing. And it was a play on that wonderful scene in Dirty Dancing, which I think most women of our vintage have watched a thousand times. At least, at least. Let me talk about the memoir because it is a really beautiful read, I have to say. And you talk a lot about food and your relationship with food. And you talk a lot about different episodes without your life where food in some ways played a really central role in your understanding of what was going on. I was particularly moved, I have to say, Dawn, by the passages that discussed your mother's death. You lost your mom at a really young age, just before your seventh birthday. And you talk about people who've experienced trauma at a very young age like that, attaching themselves to something.
And for you, it was food.
Yeah, I think a lot of people attach themselves to something, whether it's a person or a substance or can very often be something negative, can very often be something positive.
How did trauma from losing her mother impact Dawn's childhood?
But for me, it was food. I just immediately turned to food as being the thing that brought me joy. And I think that was largely wrapped around the fact that mealtimes were really distracting from all the really sad things that were happening.
Yeah.
And everyone, you know, you put food on the table and there is this kind of communal thing that happens where you've got something else to think about, something else to talk about. And I really, I felt that very deeply as a child that would just kind of long for lunch or long for dinner because it would all feel a lot less awkward. You know, my mum was very ill upstairs and then she was gone. And so it was... It was sad at times, but food brought this release. And I still, you know, still to this day, if I've experienced... I'm not one of those people that loses my appetite when I'm upset. I just have the exact... Never experienced that. Never experienced that. When people are like, oh, I haven't eaten because I'm stressed and upset.
What misconceptions did Dawn face regarding her health as a child?
I'm like, I don't know what you're talking about. I wonder what happens. And... I will still find myself, you know, right, OK, something's gone wrong, something's making me sad, get into the kitchen, cook something, put it on the table, bring everyone together, and that will make everything feel better for at least, you know, 20 minutes.
It was sort of a relief of the tension that everybody was feeling in the house. I mean, you write about... Obviously, the experience of losing your mum and the aftermath of that when you were living with your granny and grandad, your nan and pops. And how at one point, Dawn, you were so, I suppose, traumatised by what had happened to you and your young sister that you were actually diagnosed incorrectly with epilepsy.
I was. It's so 80s, I think, that story. It made me laugh and then it sort of made me really sad. It is.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:10
2
What inspired Dawn O'Porter to write her memoir 'Hungry Eyes'?
0:10–0:41
3
How did the title 'Hungry Eyes' come about?
0:41–1:15
4
What role did food play in Dawn's relationship with her mother?
1:15–2:17
5
How did trauma from losing her mother impact Dawn's childhood?
2:17–3:15
6
What misconceptions did Dawn face regarding her health as a child?
3:15–4:18
7
How has Dawn's perspective on success changed over the years?
4:18–5:38
8
What changes has Dawn made regarding her lifestyle and self-care?
5:38–20:00