EMOTIONAL TIES Nicki Chapman on straw boaters Chanel bags and her Pop Idol steal - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Celebrity EMOTIONAL TIES Nicki Chapman on straw boaters Chanel bags and her Pop Idol steal By You Magazine - May 20, 2018 TV and radio presenter Nicki Chapman opens up about her most treasured possessions, from designer handbags to family photographs. Alex Ridley Alex Ridley These hats are from my Catholic state primary school, St Mary’s in Whitstable, Kent. The straw boater was for summer and the bowler for winter. I loved that school and the nuns there; they were strict, but the emphasis was always on being polite and kind. It was a very happy time for me. Alex Ridley My music box was given to me by my nana when I was seven. I keep things that were a part of my life circa 1977 in it, such as my school bus pass, rosary beads and Blue Peter badge. I was so close to my nana; we stayed with her on Saturday nights. Alex Ridley This watch was my other grandmother’s. I love how delicate and dainty it is, and the effort and craftsmanship that has gone into making it. I don’t know where it came from, but it has an art deco look. We don’t have many family heirlooms; little things like this mean a lot. I cherish it. Alex Ridley Pete McKee, an old friend and a super-talented artist, painted this. He embraces subtle humour in his work. It’s meant to be me aged about 15, and I think it really sums me up. Growing up, music was everything to me. Alex Ridley Before I turned 50 last year I went to Harrods with my mum. I warned the saleswoman, ‘I’m not going to buy anything.’ But then we saw this beautiful bag and while I was admiring it my mum said, ‘We’ll take it.’ What a gift – spontaneous and so generous! Alex Ridley Pop Idol redefined Saturday night television and, more importantly, it changed my life. Without being a judge on the show, I wouldn’t be a presenter now. It opened doors. I nicked this sign when we were doing a photo shoot – it now lives in my dressing room. Alex Ridley Shacky [her husband Dave Shackleton] and I got married 19 years ago. We’d been engaged for ages. Our friends and family became bored with us not organising the wedding so they did it for us. Our best man’s mother and aunt made these sugar flowers for the top of the cake. Alex Ridley My elder sister Shelley [right] and I are really close. It was just the two of us growing up, but now we are part of a big family with lots of step-siblings. This photograph was taken on the Kent coast near where we lived. My best memories are of getting off the school bus and running to the beach. Alex Ridley My dad and stepmum made this ‘N’ photo collage for me for my 50th. There’s me with Shelley, the Spice Girls, my mum, Gary Barlow and my best friend Krista, who I still go on holiday with every year. It encapsulates my life and the people closest to me. Nicki will present the RHS Chelsea Flower Show every afternoon from tomorrow until Saturday on BBC Two. RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR 50 of the best celebrity Halloween costumes of all time Shirley Ballas ‘ Strictly gave me back my hope’ Davina McCall discusses how men can help women going through the menopause Popular in Celebrity TV chef Gino D Acampo on Sardinia Sophia Loren and scary salads May 25, 2017 The Evergreen Goddess Exercise guru Diana Moran on looking fit and July 10, 2017 More more Julianne Moore November 13, 2017 Author Jill Mansell on designer notebooks commissioning art and the family January 16, 2018 EMOTIONAL TIES Kelly Hoppen on vodka vintage finds and being a April 4, 2018 ‘ I have no regrets’ Millie Mackintosh on divorce debt and reuniting May 20, 2018 EMOTIONAL TIES TV presenter and tennis player Annabel Croft shares her July 1, 2018 Stella Parton ‘ Dolly and I have always been close’ August 12, 2018 Anna Friel on getting jeered in the street shared parenting with September 23, 2018 Queen of primetime Charlotte Riley on juggling rising stardom with pregnancy October 21, 2018 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved