Date: 14 December 1981
Originally published in: Daily Star (UK)
Written by: Rick Sky
Kim Wilde’s 21st was a real rave, and the celebrations lasted all night. There were three bands, and the 300 birthday guests wore medieval costume. But the party was a much for Kim’s mum and dad as herself. For that’s the sort of girl she is…
Britain’s rock sensation, whose current single Cambodia is at No. 15, loves her family. And although she’s Wilde by name, she’s mild by nature. Showing no sign of lost beauty sleep, she told me the morning after her marathon birthday celebration: ‘What a night! It was the greatest party I’ve ever had. It really was something out of the ordinary. And that’s exactly what I wanted – something I’d never forget. It took place at the very stately Knebworth Hall, and part of the reason for having the party was to surprise mum and dad. I told them it was just going to be a small do with a handful of friends. I even had dummy invitations printed for them so they wouldn’t suspect anything.’
Eclipsed
‘You should have seen the look on their faces when they turned up. They were so knocked out. And I was glad, because I feel I owe my parents so much. They’ve done a lot for me, and I wanted to do something for them in return.’
Kim’s success has fast eclipsed that of her dad Marty, who was one of Britain’s top roc kstars in the Fifties. Cambodia is the fourth smash in eight short months for the breathtaking blue-eyed beauty with the lion’s mane of hair. Now dad and Kim’s brother, Ricky, write all her songs. Another side to the rock star’s character is her love for kids, and she admits to wanting a large family of her own eventually.
She says: ‘I have a very maternal streak in me. I love spending lots of time with my baby sister, Roxanne, who’s two. She just gets more and more adorable. I don’t worry about the clash of motherhood – when it comes – and my career. I have a lot of faith in my future, and think motherhood will come very natural to me.’
When she’s not looking after baby Roxanne, Kim likes to go out with friends.
Disguise
She says: ‘I love watching other bands play. Usually, though, I have to disguise myself so I don’t get too bothered. Just putting up my hair in a ponytail does the trick.’
Kim, like so many of today’s pop stars, also has her sights set on acting. She has already greatly impressed director Ken Russell who auditioned her for a part in the movie version of Evita. Kim says: ‘I’d love to act. I adore those old Joan Crawford movies. She was a brilliant actress.’
The girl now recognised as Britain’s sex kitten of rock is frank in her views on good looks. She says: ‘Whether someone is stunning or not is irrelevant. It’s not important. It’s what’s inside you that counts. I don’t rate beauty so highly. But at the same time I know that being plain is not pleasant, because I was plain. But if someone only fancies you because you’re stunning, what’s good about that?’
