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MUSIC: "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" by David Grant | 0:00:02 | 0:00:05 | |
Those were the days when I was starting out on the path of | 0:00:12 | 0:00:16 | |
fame and fortune. | 0:00:16 | 0:00:17 | |
And I've come through it pretty unscathed, I'd like to think. | 0:00:17 | 0:00:20 | |
Today, I'm meeting three famous faces | 0:00:20 | 0:00:23 | |
who've each had to manage their fame. | 0:00:23 | 0:00:25 | |
And have used their faith to see them through. | 0:00:25 | 0:00:28 | |
Actress Daniella Westbrook, adventurer Bear Grylls, | 0:00:30 | 0:00:34 | |
and the peer, Lord Taylor | 0:00:34 | 0:00:37 | |
join me to explore the relationship between fame and faith. | 0:00:37 | 0:00:40 | |
And we hear the hymns and songs they've chosen that inspire them. | 0:00:40 | 0:00:45 | |
London's Dominion Theatre. | 0:00:54 | 0:00:56 | |
It's the place where, in the early '80s, | 0:00:56 | 0:00:59 | |
I played to full houses at the start of my pop career. | 0:00:59 | 0:01:02 | |
Since then, I've worked in the world of television as vocal coach, | 0:01:03 | 0:01:06 | |
talent judge and presenter. | 0:01:06 | 0:01:08 | |
# Could it be I'm falling in love... # | 0:01:08 | 0:01:11 | |
Coming back to this venue reminds me of that feeling of euphoria, | 0:01:11 | 0:01:14 | |
of being onstage with an audience who were there to see me. | 0:01:14 | 0:01:18 | |
It reminds me of how much I loved it. | 0:01:20 | 0:01:23 | |
But what I didn't realise was that once you're in the spotlight, | 0:01:24 | 0:01:27 | |
that time of being anonymous ends, you're often under scrutiny, | 0:01:27 | 0:01:31 | |
and you can't turn back from that. | 0:01:31 | 0:01:33 | |
Now, of course, fame has its many privileges, don't get me wrong. | 0:01:33 | 0:01:37 | |
But it also has its responsibilities. | 0:01:37 | 0:01:40 | |
And sometimes, its drawbacks. | 0:01:40 | 0:01:42 | |
MUSIC: "Just Can't Get Enough" by Depeche Mode | 0:01:42 | 0:01:44 | |
I'm looking forward to meeting three very different celebrities | 0:01:44 | 0:01:48 | |
who have shared the experience of fame. | 0:01:48 | 0:01:50 | |
To find out what it's like for them to have lived their lives in | 0:01:50 | 0:01:53 | |
the public eye, and to discover what role faith has played | 0:01:53 | 0:01:56 | |
in their journey. | 0:01:56 | 0:01:58 | |
How do they balance the demands of fame with the very personal | 0:01:58 | 0:02:01 | |
requirements of faith? | 0:02:01 | 0:02:03 | |
Before we hear their music choices, our first hymn, | 0:02:04 | 0:02:07 | |
from Arundel Cathedral, puts God very firmly in the spotlight. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:11 | |
Being famous is an aspiration these days. | 0:03:58 | 0:04:01 | |
In recent polls of young people, it often tops the list, | 0:04:01 | 0:04:04 | |
ahead of being good-looking or rich. | 0:04:04 | 0:04:07 | |
Our first guest really knows what it's like to have been | 0:04:07 | 0:04:10 | |
famous from a young age. She's the actress Daniella Westbrook. | 0:04:10 | 0:04:13 | |
Gotcha! | 0:04:15 | 0:04:16 | |
Daniella shot to fame at the tender age of 15, | 0:04:16 | 0:04:19 | |
playing the role of tearaway teenager Sam Mitchell in Eastenders. | 0:04:19 | 0:04:23 | |
-She's gorgeous. -He. -Where did you get him? | 0:04:23 | 0:04:26 | |
The trauma of her on-screen character was mirrored in her private life. | 0:04:26 | 0:04:30 | |
Daniella fought a very public battle with drug addiction. | 0:04:31 | 0:04:34 | |
And some saw her as an example | 0:04:34 | 0:04:36 | |
of the excesses of celebrity gone wrong. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:39 | |
I want to find out how Daniella's perspective on fame | 0:04:40 | 0:04:43 | |
has changed now that she's found faith. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:47 | |
MUSIC: Theme From Eastenders | 0:04:47 | 0:04:50 | |
Daniella, what was it like to be a star at such a young age? | 0:04:50 | 0:04:54 | |
It was weird, if I'm honest. Because I was just a normal girl from Essex. | 0:04:54 | 0:04:59 | |
And getting into Eastenders | 0:04:59 | 0:05:01 | |
literally two weeks before I left school was crazy. | 0:05:01 | 0:05:05 | |
All I wanted to do was be an actress. | 0:05:05 | 0:05:07 | |
So I was excited at the prospect of doing what I loved, | 0:05:07 | 0:05:11 | |
more so than being famous. | 0:05:11 | 0:05:14 | |
And then as time went on, the fame overtook doing what I love. | 0:05:14 | 0:05:17 | |
Did fame rob you of the joy of acting? | 0:05:17 | 0:05:20 | |
Yes, I think it did. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:22 | |
I think because I just didn't know what to expect, | 0:05:22 | 0:05:25 | |
I didn't know how to handle it. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:26 | |
I hadn't been brought up in that side of life, celebrities, | 0:05:26 | 0:05:29 | |
film stars, and going to premieres, and meeting Tom Cruise. | 0:05:29 | 0:05:32 | |
You know, crazy things that just don't happen to kids. | 0:05:32 | 0:05:35 | |
Did drugs play a part in that, at that point? | 0:05:35 | 0:05:39 | |
How did that become part of your life? | 0:05:39 | 0:05:41 | |
I was taking drugs within a few years of being at Eastenders. | 0:05:41 | 0:05:43 | |
And that really showed in my performance. | 0:05:43 | 0:05:46 | |
The partying side of it | 0:05:46 | 0:05:48 | |
and the celebrity side of it was more important than the job. | 0:05:48 | 0:05:51 | |
How bad did it get before you went, "I need to do something about this?" | 0:05:51 | 0:05:55 | |
It got to the point where, in the end, I was pregnant with my daughter. | 0:05:55 | 0:05:59 | |
And the doctor said to me that my liver, everything was giving up. | 0:05:59 | 0:06:03 | |
And he said that I was going to lose the baby, I was going to die. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:06 | |
And I was like... (EXHALES) I really don't want to die. | 0:06:06 | 0:06:10 | |
I want to live. | 0:06:10 | 0:06:11 | |
I've found the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, | 0:06:11 | 0:06:14 | |
I've got a wonderful son, I'm about to have another baby, | 0:06:14 | 0:06:17 | |
and the devil has got hold of me. | 0:06:17 | 0:06:20 | |
This drug has got hold of me and I can't let it beat me. | 0:06:20 | 0:06:23 | |
I know I'm worth more than this. | 0:06:23 | 0:06:25 | |
I was like a possessed person at that time. | 0:06:25 | 0:06:28 | |
And I had to flick the switch. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:30 | |
Since those difficult years, Daniella has turned a corner. | 0:09:05 | 0:09:09 | |
As a working mum, she has returned to the world of soaps. | 0:09:09 | 0:09:13 | |
And unlike those early days, Daniella is now a Christian. | 0:09:13 | 0:09:18 | |
So the journey from addiction and being close to the point of death | 0:09:18 | 0:09:22 | |
to the you now, what role did faith play in that journey? | 0:09:22 | 0:09:26 | |
I've always believed in God. Always. I just didn't know him. | 0:09:26 | 0:09:31 | |
Throughout my using and my darkest times, I did used to speak to God. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:34 | |
When you're alone and at your depths, I think people do that in any case. | 0:09:34 | 0:09:39 | |
Whatever they are going through and life. | 0:09:39 | 0:09:41 | |
Even if they're not spiritually aware. | 0:09:41 | 0:09:43 | |
At their darkest moments, the person they call upon is God. | 0:09:43 | 0:09:46 | |
And I did that a lot. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:47 | |
And then in my last stint in treatment, | 0:09:47 | 0:09:50 | |
in Arizona, I was pregnant with my daughter. | 0:09:50 | 0:09:53 | |
I couldn't sleep and I went out into the desert. | 0:09:53 | 0:09:57 | |
I just stood there looking up, and I was like, God, if you're there, | 0:09:57 | 0:10:01 | |
if you have a plan for me, then you need to show me | 0:10:01 | 0:10:05 | |
because I'm ready for your help. It's your will, not mine. | 0:10:05 | 0:10:09 | |
And I need to go with it. I can't do this on my own. | 0:10:09 | 0:10:12 | |
My way doesn't work and if you have a plan for me, I don't care | 0:10:12 | 0:10:15 | |
if it's not acting, I don't care what it is, I just need to live. | 0:10:15 | 0:10:20 | |
I want you in my life and, if you'll take me, I'm ready. | 0:10:20 | 0:10:24 | |
Are people surprised when they discover that you have faith? | 0:10:24 | 0:10:28 | |
People found out I had faith when I was in America | 0:10:28 | 0:10:30 | |
and I was already well into being...like two years. | 0:10:30 | 0:10:33 | |
I'm still a baby Christian. I'm still a work in progress, and we all are. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:36 | |
None of us are ever going to be perfect. | 0:10:36 | 0:10:38 | |
Back in England they were like - | 0:10:38 | 0:10:40 | |
Oh, my God, she's gone from a drug addict to a crazy Christian. | 0:10:40 | 0:10:43 | |
You know what, if you want to label me, label me. That's cool. | 0:10:43 | 0:10:47 | |
But walk a mile in my shoes and then judge. | 0:10:47 | 0:10:51 | |
I used to be a big person for judging until I came into the Church. | 0:10:51 | 0:10:55 | |
And that was one thing I had to check myself on constantly, | 0:10:55 | 0:10:58 | |
not to judge others. | 0:10:58 | 0:11:00 | |
But what does fame mean to you today? | 0:11:00 | 0:11:03 | |
And how has faith influenced what you think fame is? | 0:11:03 | 0:11:08 | |
Actually, what I realised is, fame is the biggest addiction there is. | 0:11:08 | 0:11:12 | |
Everybody wants it. Whether they say they do or not. Most people want it. | 0:11:12 | 0:11:17 | |
Most people, when they've got it, don't know what to do with it. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:20 | |
And then they either want more or they want to get rid of it | 0:11:20 | 0:11:23 | |
because they don't like it. | 0:11:23 | 0:11:25 | |
I realised through my faith that actually using your status, | 0:11:25 | 0:11:28 | |
whether it be as an actress or whatever that may be, | 0:11:28 | 0:11:32 | |
can actually do a lot of good for a lot of causes. | 0:11:32 | 0:11:35 | |
What kind of person are you today? | 0:11:35 | 0:11:37 | |
I think I'm more honest. I'm more selfless, which is great. | 0:11:37 | 0:11:42 | |
I'm just a mum that tries to do the right thing. | 0:11:42 | 0:11:47 | |
And I just feel like I'm turning the page into a new chapter | 0:11:47 | 0:11:50 | |
of my life now with my faith. | 0:11:50 | 0:11:52 | |
And moving into my 40s this year, | 0:11:52 | 0:11:54 | |
it feels like a great new chapter's about to start. | 0:11:54 | 0:11:57 | |
It feels like life's just beginning. | 0:11:57 | 0:11:59 | |
What role does God play in your life? | 0:11:59 | 0:12:01 | |
God's my father. And he always will be. | 0:12:01 | 0:12:04 | |
He's my parent, he's the person I speak to in my time of need, | 0:12:04 | 0:12:07 | |
he's the person I trust in. | 0:12:07 | 0:12:08 | |
Sometimes I just think my way's better and it never is. | 0:12:08 | 0:12:12 | |
And God will always be my father. | 0:12:12 | 0:12:15 | |
And that's just the way it is for me. | 0:12:15 | 0:12:18 | |
Are there any pieces of music that you go - | 0:12:18 | 0:12:22 | |
yeah, I can identify with that? | 0:12:22 | 0:12:24 | |
I'm more of an Evangelistic church. | 0:12:24 | 0:12:26 | |
So I'm quite rocky and I love praise and worship. | 0:12:26 | 0:12:29 | |
I love seeing people be free and lit up in God. | 0:12:29 | 0:12:33 | |
It feels great. | 0:12:33 | 0:12:34 | |
One famous face who rediscovered his childhood faith as a teenager | 0:14:43 | 0:14:47 | |
is better known for his extreme adventures, risk-taking, | 0:14:47 | 0:14:51 | |
and his action-man image. | 0:14:51 | 0:14:53 | |
Christened Edward but known by his nickname, | 0:14:53 | 0:14:56 | |
Bare Grylls is famous for his TV show Born Survivor | 0:14:56 | 0:15:00 | |
which has a global audience of more than a billion. | 0:15:00 | 0:15:03 | |
OK, this one is going to be a mission. | 0:15:03 | 0:15:06 | |
But Bear hasn't had an easy ride. | 0:15:07 | 0:15:09 | |
And he's had many close shaves with death. | 0:15:09 | 0:15:12 | |
I want to know whether being a Christian | 0:15:12 | 0:15:14 | |
gets in the way of his tough-guy image. | 0:15:14 | 0:15:17 | |
You are known worldwide. Was fame something you set out to find? | 0:15:19 | 0:15:23 | |
No. No, it's been a kind of a monster that's crept up. | 0:15:23 | 0:15:28 | |
But no. | 0:15:28 | 0:15:30 | |
All I ever wanted to do as a kid was climb trees | 0:15:30 | 0:15:33 | |
and then fall out of them and get muddy. | 0:15:33 | 0:15:35 | |
I think if somebody had told me as a seven-year-old that | 0:15:35 | 0:15:37 | |
I could have a job that essentially was that, | 0:15:37 | 0:15:39 | |
I would have thought, heaven, you know? | 0:15:39 | 0:15:41 | |
But I always take it with a big bucket of salt. | 0:15:41 | 0:15:44 | |
Don't get involved in too much of the glitzy stuff around. | 0:15:44 | 0:15:48 | |
Are people ever surprised that an action man like you is a Christian? | 0:15:48 | 0:15:52 | |
People have lots of different reactions. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:54 | |
I think there is a stereotypical image of a Christian, | 0:15:54 | 0:15:57 | |
and to be honest, I grew up with that as well, as a kid, so I threw | 0:15:57 | 0:15:59 | |
the baby out with the bathwater and thought Christianity is boring, | 0:15:59 | 0:16:02 | |
when, actually, the heart of Christianity, of this person, | 0:16:02 | 0:16:05 | |
Jesus Christ, was the most totally wild, free, | 0:16:05 | 0:16:08 | |
unreligious person you'll ever meet. | 0:16:08 | 0:16:10 | |
Bear, how would you describe your faith? | 0:16:10 | 0:16:12 | |
I think I've always tried to keep my faith simple | 0:16:12 | 0:16:15 | |
and not to let it get religious or overcomplicated. | 0:16:15 | 0:16:18 | |
I think the one thing my Christian faith has done for me | 0:16:18 | 0:16:21 | |
is it's given me that kind of core and that backbone | 0:16:21 | 0:16:24 | |
and that secret strength of having been found, | 0:16:24 | 0:16:28 | |
and that's something that brings with it a quiet confidence that has | 0:16:28 | 0:16:31 | |
sustained me and helped me so much on high mountains | 0:16:31 | 0:16:34 | |
and on remote jungles and all these difficult places. | 0:16:34 | 0:16:37 | |
So, Bear, which hymn says something about your faith? | 0:16:37 | 0:16:40 | |
Well, I always love the hymn Lord Of The Dance, | 0:16:41 | 0:16:45 | |
and again, for me, it's been a life lesson to realise that our Lord | 0:16:45 | 0:16:48 | |
isn't the Lord of church and behaving better and being religious. | 0:16:48 | 0:16:53 | |
He is the Lord of the dance, and it's about being free | 0:16:53 | 0:16:55 | |
and it's about having that raw, moving, real personal faith. | 0:16:55 | 0:17:01 | |
Bear's TV career almost didn't happen. | 0:19:10 | 0:19:13 | |
Trained as an SAS soldier, he was on leave from duty in 1996 | 0:19:13 | 0:19:17 | |
when a freefall parachute jump went badly wrong. | 0:19:17 | 0:19:21 | |
He broke his back in three places | 0:19:21 | 0:19:23 | |
and spent the next year in military rehab. | 0:19:23 | 0:19:26 | |
Suddenly, your world's ripped apart, | 0:19:26 | 0:19:28 | |
because you can't move and you're strapped up in this place, | 0:19:28 | 0:19:31 | |
and the doctors didn't know | 0:19:31 | 0:19:32 | |
if I was going to be able to walk again properly, | 0:19:32 | 0:19:35 | |
but I think where my faith has really come into its own | 0:19:35 | 0:19:39 | |
is it was a real guiding light for me, saying, "You're going to be OK." | 0:19:39 | 0:19:43 | |
So after you recovered, and after you were able to walk again, | 0:19:43 | 0:19:48 | |
you became the youngest person to climb Everest. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:50 | |
Why did you do that? | 0:19:52 | 0:19:53 | |
I suppose Everest was my proving ground, to prove that I wasn't out. | 0:19:53 | 0:19:58 | |
You know, just because like's not me sideways, I'm doing to get | 0:19:58 | 0:20:01 | |
back up, and actually, that, I think, has been | 0:20:01 | 0:20:04 | |
a great lesson for me of life, is that the rewards don't always | 0:20:04 | 0:20:07 | |
go to the best or the brilliant, they go to the dogged. | 0:20:07 | 0:20:10 | |
And I remember just collapsing to my knees, you know, | 0:20:10 | 0:20:12 | |
and it was a powerful moment for me. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:16 | |
So you go to these extreme places. What keeps taking you back to them? | 0:20:16 | 0:20:20 | |
What takes me back to all of these wilds | 0:20:20 | 0:20:23 | |
and the extremes is that it's one thing in my life that I'm good at. | 0:20:23 | 0:20:26 | |
When I'm in a jungle, I'm up a mountain, I come alive. | 0:20:26 | 0:20:29 | |
I feel a kind of strength there, and life becomes much more raw. | 0:20:29 | 0:20:32 | |
That fluff gets blown away. | 0:20:32 | 0:20:34 | |
Have you had some near misses? | 0:20:34 | 0:20:36 | |
I've had too many near misses, and they're times I'm not proud of. | 0:20:36 | 0:20:39 | |
There have been numerous close shaves with being bitten | 0:20:39 | 0:20:42 | |
by nasty snakes and pinned in big rapids | 0:20:42 | 0:20:44 | |
and falling down crevasses and parachute failures, you name it. | 0:20:44 | 0:20:49 | |
But I try and focus, always, on getting home, | 0:20:49 | 0:20:51 | |
and I try and forget about the bad times. | 0:20:51 | 0:20:54 | |
How do you reconcile making these extreme programmes for TV, | 0:20:54 | 0:20:58 | |
and your responsibilities as a father and as a husband? | 0:20:58 | 0:21:02 | |
I think it's hard. | 0:21:02 | 0:21:03 | |
I don't think I've resolved that, and I think it's always a struggle | 0:21:03 | 0:21:06 | |
in my life, but at the same time, it's my job, it's what I'm good at. | 0:21:06 | 0:21:09 | |
We don't take crazy, unnecessary risks. | 0:21:09 | 0:21:11 | |
We plan things, we consider them well, | 0:21:11 | 0:21:13 | |
and as you say, nothing's worth dying for. | 0:21:13 | 0:21:15 | |
At the end of the day, it's a TV show. | 0:21:15 | 0:21:17 | |
When people see you on TV and they see what you do, | 0:21:17 | 0:21:20 | |
what do you want that to ignite in them? | 0:21:20 | 0:21:25 | |
I want them to realise that life is precious, | 0:21:25 | 0:21:27 | |
and life is best lived boldly. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:29 | |
You got to grab with both hands, don't be scared to have dreams, | 0:21:29 | 0:21:33 | |
don't listen to the dream-stealers who tell you you're crazy, | 0:21:33 | 0:21:36 | |
and to go for it, and understand that the key ingredient is | 0:21:36 | 0:21:39 | |
always that determination to keep going. | 0:21:39 | 0:21:41 | |
Tell me the about hymn that you've chosen. | 0:21:41 | 0:21:43 | |
I've chosen Lord Of All Hopefulness, just because when I go to church | 0:21:43 | 0:21:49 | |
and I hear that, it feeds me, | 0:21:49 | 0:21:51 | |
you know, to hear that this Lord of all hopefulness is with me | 0:21:51 | 0:21:54 | |
at the start of the day, and through our business and when we're running | 0:21:54 | 0:21:57 | |
around and we're facing dangers, and I come away really super grateful. | 0:21:57 | 0:22:02 | |
When you're in a position of power and a Christian, you're always | 0:23:13 | 0:23:16 | |
under scrutiny, both when things go well and when things go wrong. | 0:23:16 | 0:23:20 | |
Lord John Taylor of Warwick made history in 1996 | 0:23:22 | 0:23:25 | |
as the first black Conservative peer in the House of Lords. | 0:23:25 | 0:23:28 | |
The immigration debate is, too often, | 0:23:28 | 0:23:31 | |
sadly encouraged by the media. | 0:23:31 | 0:23:33 | |
He made history again in 2011, when he was the first peer | 0:23:34 | 0:23:37 | |
to be given a custodial sentence during the expenses scandal. | 0:23:37 | 0:23:41 | |
I want to find out what it's like to be a Christian in the world of | 0:23:43 | 0:23:46 | |
politics, and what happens when a man who has faith is sent to prison. | 0:23:46 | 0:23:50 | |
What happens to faith then? | 0:23:50 | 0:23:52 | |
You've spent a long time in the spotlight. | 0:23:56 | 0:23:58 | |
How did that story evolve? | 0:23:58 | 0:24:01 | |
Well, it was amazing, really, | 0:24:01 | 0:24:02 | |
because I was the first black person to achieve many things. | 0:24:02 | 0:24:05 | |
I was the first black Conservative peer in the House of Lords, | 0:24:05 | 0:24:08 | |
so the media picked up on that, and that fed upon itself. | 0:24:08 | 0:24:12 | |
Everything I touched turned to gold. | 0:24:12 | 0:24:14 | |
I had an amazing time, and I was literally mixing with popstars, | 0:24:14 | 0:24:18 | |
and people were asking for my autograph. | 0:24:18 | 0:24:20 | |
Tell me about that kind of tension between fame and politics. | 0:24:20 | 0:24:25 | |
It is an issue. | 0:24:25 | 0:24:26 | |
I had probably a good 16, 17 years of people telling me that, | 0:24:26 | 0:24:30 | |
you know, I was going to be a Cabinet minister, | 0:24:30 | 0:24:32 | |
I was going to achieve this, achieve that, | 0:24:32 | 0:24:34 | |
and you are put on a pedestal, and your ego is built up. | 0:24:34 | 0:24:39 | |
But, you know, we all fall short of the glory of God, | 0:24:39 | 0:24:42 | |
and I recognise that now more than ever. | 0:24:42 | 0:24:45 | |
What's it like being a Christian in this world? | 0:24:45 | 0:24:47 | |
Difficult, because we are held to a high standard, I'm aware of that. | 0:24:47 | 0:24:52 | |
The big battle is you try and do the Lord's work for him, | 0:24:52 | 0:24:55 | |
and often I've got in the way of the Lord, | 0:24:55 | 0:24:57 | |
and I think, in a way, he's telling me, "OK, step back. | 0:24:57 | 0:25:01 | |
"You've tried it your way. Now let me help you." | 0:25:01 | 0:25:04 | |
Are there any hymns that you listen to that encourage you? | 0:25:04 | 0:25:09 | |
Amazing Grace, I think, is my favourite, because grace is amazing. | 0:25:09 | 0:25:13 | |
It's undeserved, we can't earn it. | 0:25:13 | 0:25:15 | |
It's a gift, and that gift was given to us literally 2,000 years ago. | 0:25:15 | 0:25:21 | |
As well as a rising political star, | 0:27:50 | 0:27:52 | |
Lord Taylor became a TV presenter and media pundit. | 0:27:52 | 0:27:56 | |
Then, two years ago, he made the headlines again, | 0:27:56 | 0:28:00 | |
but for the wrong reasons. | 0:28:00 | 0:28:01 | |
Lord Taylor of Warwick has been found guilty | 0:28:04 | 0:28:07 | |
of making false claims for Parliamentary expenses. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:10 | |
Any reaction to the guilty verdict, Lord Taylor? | 0:28:10 | 0:28:12 | |
'Sentencing him to a year in jail, the judge said Lord Taylor | 0:28:12 | 0:28:15 | |
'had thrown away a life of public service.' | 0:28:15 | 0:28:18 | |
Well, it was a shock. | 0:28:18 | 0:28:20 | |
I actually wasn't expecting that verdict, | 0:28:20 | 0:28:22 | |
and of course, you feel as if your world has crashed, | 0:28:22 | 0:28:26 | |
and I remember saying to God, "Well, what now? What do you want of me?" | 0:28:26 | 0:28:30 | |
And I believe he said to me, "Faith." | 0:28:30 | 0:28:34 | |
You know, Hebrews 11:6. | 0:28:34 | 0:28:36 | |
"It is impossible to please God unless you have faith." | 0:28:36 | 0:28:40 | |
What did you learn about yourself | 0:28:40 | 0:28:43 | |
and about God through this experience? | 0:28:43 | 0:28:46 | |
I know he can use me, because I've been through a tough time. | 0:28:46 | 0:28:50 | |
If you look at the Bible, it's a story of failures, you know. | 0:28:50 | 0:28:54 | |
David was a great leader, but he failed in many ways, | 0:28:54 | 0:28:56 | |
but God used these men despite their failures, and that has really | 0:28:56 | 0:29:01 | |
encouraged me, the fact that God is a God of a second chance. | 0:29:01 | 0:29:05 | |
Lord Taylor spent three months inside Wandsworth Prison, | 0:29:05 | 0:29:09 | |
before returning to his job as a peer in the House of Lords. | 0:29:09 | 0:29:13 | |
I found, in prison, some amazing kindness, actually. | 0:29:13 | 0:29:17 | |
Yes, there was a bit of mickey-taking, you would expect that, | 0:29:17 | 0:29:20 | |
you know, "Does my Lord want claret with your dinner?" | 0:29:20 | 0:29:22 | |
You know, that's fine, and you laugh, you go along with that. | 0:29:22 | 0:29:26 | |
Did you ever feel, | 0:29:26 | 0:29:27 | |
going in, as though you had somehow been a bad rep for God? | 0:29:27 | 0:29:33 | |
Done bad PR for God? | 0:29:33 | 0:29:35 | |
I think that's my biggest problem, actually, | 0:29:35 | 0:29:38 | |
and I'm still wrestling with that, because it's easy for people to say, | 0:29:38 | 0:29:42 | |
"Call himself a Christian? Look what happened to him." | 0:29:42 | 0:29:45 | |
And I felt I'd let God down, but I believe he's reassured me | 0:29:45 | 0:29:50 | |
that I can never let him down, because it's not over. | 0:29:50 | 0:29:54 | |
He is going to use the experience I've been through for something good. | 0:29:54 | 0:29:58 | |
Has this difficult experience | 0:30:01 | 0:30:02 | |
changed your perception of fame and faith? | 0:30:02 | 0:30:06 | |
Well, it's reinforced that fame is fickle, it really is. | 0:30:06 | 0:30:09 | |
I mean, fame is not something to strive for, | 0:30:09 | 0:30:13 | |
because you can be up one day and down the next. | 0:30:13 | 0:30:16 | |
You can use fame, but try and use it for good, | 0:30:16 | 0:30:19 | |
not just to massage your ego. | 0:30:19 | 0:30:20 | |
In terms of faith, | 0:30:20 | 0:30:22 | |
there's no doubt that it's emphasised even more to me | 0:30:22 | 0:30:27 | |
that faith is vital, and I feel that God is toughening me up, | 0:30:27 | 0:30:31 | |
in many ways, perhaps through the experiences I've been through. | 0:30:31 | 0:30:34 | |
The relationship between fame and faith isn't always an easy one. | 0:33:08 | 0:33:12 | |
Faith can be a rescue, a challenge, or a comfort, | 0:33:12 | 0:33:15 | |
and as we live our lives, neither fame nor faith stays the same. | 0:33:15 | 0:33:20 | |
'Next week, Connie Fisher goes home to Pembrokeshire | 0:33:22 | 0:33:25 | |
'and meets others who have returned to the land of the fathers.' | 0:33:25 | 0:33:29 | |
'She'll be kayaking into coves | 0:33:29 | 0:33:30 | |
'and carrying a cross on a coastal journey.' | 0:33:30 | 0:33:33 | |
'Music comes from John Owen-Jones | 0:33:33 | 0:33:35 | |
'and the congregation of St David's Cathedral.' | 0:33:35 | 0:33:38 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media | 0:33:54 | 0:33:57 |