Belinda's Hell's Kitchen trial by camera

One of the most successful female artists of all time, Belinda Carlisle
has sold over 7 million albums (solo), earned herself a place in the history of both
punk and pop and had the dubious honour of being the first celebrity
voted off Hell's Kitchen.

She spoke to Caroline Harrap...

When Belinda Carlisle was evicted from Hell's Kitchen in tears, she looked
for all the world as though she was heartbroken to be leaving the latest
reality show to hit our screens.

But despite appearances, she is adament that her departure from the
ITV series actually came as a tremendous relief.

"I had a great time and really enjoyed myself but I was so glad I left
when I did", says the 80s pop sensation, who was the first celebrity to
be voted out of the show.

'It wasn't Gordon Ramsey himself that was the problem; it was the
cameras.

'Just having them there all the time was something that was very hard
to get used to- it was absolutely exhausting.

'The whole thing was actually alot more difficult than it looked.

'I've been kissing the ground since I got home and sleeping 12 hours a
night!'

For those who didn't catch the show, the programme saw various celebrities, including former minister Edwina Currie, ex-Bros singer Matt Goss and former Brookside star Jennifer Ellison - who went on to win the show - competing against each other to cook for diners at a Ramsay-run restaurant.

Each night, the celebrity chefs were then voted for by the public and the least popular evicted.
In the end, though, it wasn't so much the cooking that grabbed the headlines but Gordon Ramsay's tirades of abuse against his beleaguered students - often featuring some rather colourful language!

Carlisle is quick to spring to the defence, though, of the man some people
saw as a hot-headed bully.

'He's actually a really nice guy,' insists the 45-year-old, who kept a fairly
low profile on the show- perhaps to her cost when it came to winning
votes.

'I mean sure he yelled at me a couple of times but that didn't bother
me at all because it was completely justified.

'I thought he was great'.

A consummate cook herself, Carlisle says that unlike some of the celebrities who appeared on the show, in the hope, no doubt, of furthering their careers, her only reason for taking part was a genuine desire to improve her culinary skills.

"I love cooking and chefs and all that kind of thing; in fact, I'm a really good cook," says Carlisle, who now lives in the South of France with her husband of nine years, Morgan Mason (son of the actor James Mason), and their 12-year-old son.

"Living in such an amazing part of the world, I am privy to lots of amazing produce and wonderful herbs and spices.

"I cook all the time and I'm very interested in pursuing the whole thing further; in fact, I'm going to a cooking school in Provence this September.

'For me the show was simply an opportunity to work with Gordon Ramsey
- it was about becoming a better cook'.


It might be what they all say but when it comes from Belinda Carlisle,
somehow you actually believe her.

Now resting on her laurels, following what has been a phenomenally successful music career, initially with punk band the Go-Go's and, subsequently, as a global pop icon, let's face it, it's not as though she needs to work.

It's difficult to begrudge her that success, though, because, as she's the first one to admit, she got there through sheer hard graft.

Born in Hollywood, California, in 1958, her music career began when,
leaving school, she immersed herself in the LA punk scene and did a
short stint as a drummer in punk band The Germs.

She went on to help form the legendary Go-Go's and with their double platinum debut, Beauty and the Beat, they became the first girl band to top the US album chart.

But it was only with the launch of her solo career and the multi-million selling single, Heaven Is A Place On Earth, that Belinda Carlisle went on to become a global success.

A string of further hit singles, including I Get Weak and Circle in the Sand, among others, ensured she was set her up for life and, these days, she has the luxury of picking and choosing her work.

'I do what I want when I want," says the former pin-up, who adorned
many a teenager's bedroom, and still looks fantastic now.

"That's the luxury of where I am in my career.

"I'm not super, super, super successful and I don't want to be.

"I'm not a prisoner of my success - I mean I live comfortably and I can
still walk along the street.

"Saying that, it was amazing how many people came up to me at the
airport on the way back from Hell's Kitchen, which I was horrified about!

"I've always felt uncomfortable with that side of things but then that's the
price you pay".

Nevertheless, she has no plans to give up her music career as yet and, in fact, has just started work on a new solo album - though it will be a bit of a departure from the material we have come to associate with Belinda Carlisle.

The queen of re-invention, her next record is going to be an album of classic French chanson.

"This is something that I'm really excited about because I'm just not really interested in popular music any more," says Carlisle, who is hoping for a release date of next spring.

"It's going to have people on it like Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel, and I can't wait to start work on it."

She still loves performing her old material, though, sometimes touring as a solo artist, occasionally getting together again with the Go-Go's (they have concerts this summer in Japan and America) and, every so often, teaming up with other groups for eighties revival tours.

This December, for instance, she will join Midge Ure, Kim Wilde, Nik Kershaw, Bucks Fizz, Living in a Box and Limahl for a tour that will include a concert at the Brighton Centre.

For the moment, though, the singer is back in the UK for a two-week solo tour that will see her performing at Fairfield, Croydon, tomorrow night (Friday June 1.

"I'm really looking forward to it," says Carlisle, who admits that she still gets a real buzz from performing live.

"I've played at Croydon before, actually, and it's a great place.

"This time, though, I think it's going to be a bit more rock and roll.

"I'll be doing all of my solo hits, some covers and a few Go Go's songs - though none of the new stuff as that's still a work in progress!

"What can I say? It'll be a great night out!"

Full of enthusiasm for the tour, and feeling relaxed and refreshed after a few days spent chilling out on her local beach in the South of France, all seems well in the world of Belinda Carlisle, possibly because she has the balance in her life just right.

These days, you are more likely to find her throwing together a vegetarian feast entirely from scratch (she refuses to use anything artificial in her cooking and hardly ever eats meat) than at some celebrity party.

Frankly, she prefers to immerse herself in family life or just potter around her beloved kitchen.

"You can't stay up there forever," she says, of the heady days of international stardom.

"The peak of my career is over - that was back in the eighties and early nineties.

''I worked non-stop from the age of 17 and I'm just not that driven anymore.

"When I turned 40, I decided it was time to switch gears and enjoy all those things that I had always worked so hard for."

what's this reality show she's on? Hell's Kitchen? Where is that airing?

Ilove belinda!! I still need to get my hands on that '82 video she and her go go bandmates took of some guy wanking off on a toilet.

crazy4u said:

"Hells kitchen" was a UK only show shown on ITV! If u dont live in UK then hardly no chance of seeing it i'm afraid Crazy4u! Sorry!

crazy4u said:

Yeah, she puts fame into perspective for sure -- fame, and the money that comes along with it, can buy you an entirely new face.

She was great with the Go Gos, but when she went AC, she lost something. Even though her solo album had some good pop tunes (minus that horrible remake of I Feel Free), it kinda makes me wonder why she got all upset about the record label wanting to make the Go Gos more pop and less punk. She had no problem taking that role on for her solo career.

I always had more of a crush on Jane Wiedlin. Belinda's hot, no doubt, but Jane's just-Mmm.

Something about girls and guitars I guess.

On the Go-Go's VH1 Behind The Music they aired blurred and edited clips of that backstage video-Belinda's speech about masturbation is hilarious. They really were on a lot back then.

Good luck finding a copy, just share the wealth when you do, ok?