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It turns out he wasn't entirely telling the truth. It wasn't that he didn't know how to have a relationship; he was heartbroken.

Book: David Mitchell: Back Story

In , he went to a film premiere and met "funny, bright, sexy, nervous and confident" Coren and, "pretty instantly", he knew. After a few dates, though, she ended it: For the first time in his life, being alone made Mitchell feel lonely. As chance would have it, this period coincided with his rocketing public profile and interviewers began asking questions about his love life.

So he played up the persona of the "dysfunctional loser" to keep enquiries at bay. But playing that role became, he admits today, "increasingly painful". And then Coren came back. I can't explain it other than to say I couldn't do anything else," he writes. On an overcast afternoon in a photographer's studio in east London, I find Mitchell munching, without much enthusiasm, on a shop-bought sandwich. While every other male in Hoxton seems to be wearing a vintage T-shirt and jeans, Mitchell, 38, sports a defiantly untrendy jacket-and-trouser combination.

How Not to Be a Boy

He looks, in short, exactly how one would expect. With his slightly nervous manner, his sentences starting off hesitant as he mentally constructs a perfectly crafted argument or self-deprecating joke, he comes across in person just as he does on the many panel shows he populates.

Except that now there is an air of contentment, a sense of comfort in his own skin. But he is so obviously a man in love that it is frankly distracting. Every time he says Coren's name, which is often, his face pinks.

David Mitchell: Back Story (Audiobook) by David Mitchell | theranchhands.com

He was amazed, he says, that anyone took any notice when they announced their engagement, but relieved that everyone has been so nice about it. I say I think people were rather charmed at the idea of the nerdy loner winning the gorgeous blond, and realise, too late, just how rude that sounds.

He is quite ridiculously happy, and equally happy to talk about it. This is surprising, because he writes at some length about how uncomfortable he has been about media interest in his personal life. Heat — of all publications — once papped him — of all people — kissing a woman in the street, an experience he describes as "humiliating".

David Mitchell on The Jonathan Ross Show 2018

Does being happy mean he no longer cares so much about his privacy? But he does more than merely answer questions. The chapter about Coren is downright uxorious and written in a very different tone. Did he find it easy to write?

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It sort of all came out in one go," he says. Coren, he says, has been "very nice" about the chapter. It is a very Mitchell and Mark Corrigan concern, more anxious about the impression he gives than any question of authenticity. Certainly my clothesline is none of my work — they just ran them by me. When he originally conceived of the book, it was going to be mainly about the London walk but, gradually, the memoir element took over. What about the suggestion that his recent weight loss and new beard are part of a post-relationship makeover?

He laughs and denies it, saying the weight loss came from the long daily walks he takes to ease his chronic back pain, and the beard he grew some time ago: Although Mitchell says he exaggerated his loner status, one of the reasons he used to appear on so many panel shows was because, "I didn't really have a private life at all. The book received generally positive reviews.

The Guardian stated that it was an honest memoir, different from other celebrity memoirs and one that would resonate greatly with readers. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.


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  4. David Mitchell: goodbye lonely nerd | Media | The Guardian?
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