Mr Confidential

MR CONFIDENTIAL

By Chris Hutchins

ELVIS Presley, Princess Diana, Elton John, the Beatles, Tom Jones, Fergie Duchess of York, Richard Branson – they all figure in this extraordinary book of revelations. Previously untold stories of royals, celebrities and the occasional politician are all relayed in this rich and unrivalled mix of anecdotes by the master.

Chris Hutchins is a journalist and author. For more than a decade his Confidential column chronicled the lives of the rich and famous and was featured in three national newspapers as well as being syndicated globally. Think of a moment in popular culture in the last three decades and the chances are that Chris either covered it or got caught up in it.

At one time he also ran the UK’s most successful music PR company, shaping the careers and sharing the lives of Tom Jones, the Bee Gees, Eric Clapton and many other international stars. As a fresh-faced young scribbler on the New Musical Express he toured the world with the Beatles and took them to meet Elvis Presley who became his friend.

It’s been a rocky road for the boy from a Devon housing estate on whom, according to Sir Richard Branson, the future of his Virgin Atlantic airline once briefly depended. He has had encounters along the way which have often been funny, sometimes sad, with such diverse personalities as Sir Elton John, Rupert Murdoch, Lord ‘Dickie’ Mountbatten, Muhammad Ali, a former British prime minister who got drunk in his house, Rod Steiger, a palace maid and various members of the royal family. His is a truly unique look behind the scenes of international celebrity.

Chris Hutchins now more usually writes books about other people’s lives. It was fellow journalist and author Ray Connolly who urged him to write one about his own. As the man who has been in on more celebrity secrets than virtually any other writer, Chris Hutchins’ own story is the most interesting of them all . . .