An Article With Nick*
The contact sheet from Nick Ede’s RyeZine photoshoot.
Tell us about your background and your early years growing up?
Nick. I was born and brought up in Edinburgh. My dad was a developmental biologist, famous for being one of the scientists who started cloning in animals. My mum had been a performer and then became a nursery teacher.
I wasn’t particularly academic unlike my family; I felt a little out of kilter with that. So I spent my time doing drama or art, which led me to a scholarship at The Glasgow School of Art. I studied fine art for a year, I was the youngest person ever to go there at just 17. Maybe going to a private school, I hadn’t been exposed to much, so I was a bit too young. I love art and art history, but I felt I could do art any time.
I decided that I wanted to be an actor. In those days, you couldn’t attend drama school until you were 21. I was around 18 or 19, so I couldn’t go. But there was this place called Bretton Hall in Leeds; it was like a Fame school. We were educated in drama, dance and performance but we mixed with the fashion, art and music departments all the time so it was very creative; it was sort of this incubator for artists, directors and actors, some brilliant people went there.
From there, I moved down to London; I imagined that London’s streets were paved with gold. I saw myself stepping off the train and becoming a star. But, obviously, that never happens. And when I saw the determination of the actors, I thought that isn’t me.
At this time, I was working for a ticketing company that organised theatre trips for visitors coming into London from all around the country. I would see a show every night; it was a real education.
I became involved with creating educational forums for the shows. The kids would see the shows, and we would teach them about how a musical is created. We introduced them to the actors, behind the scenes and makeup; I would’ve loved that opportunity at school age. I got involved with the likes of Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber and became quite knowledgeable in that area.
What drove you to bring awareness to stroke and stroke charities?
Nick. Unfortunately, when I was 23, my mum passed away from a stroke. I didn’t know what a stroke was, and it was immediate. It was the same day that Princess Diana died; it was such a strange feeling as it felt like the whole world was grieving. But I was grieving somebody who was in my life. At the same time, my mum was a massive fan of Princess Diana. Then when Diana’s funeral was all over the press and on TV, my mum’s funeral was the following day. I struggled mentally; I loved my mum so much and was devoted to her.
I had a breakdown; I left London and went to Edinburgh for a year and being patched up by my brother and my dad. I wasn’t in a good space for a long time. I got an invite to London; a friend lived off Columbia Road. So I stayed the night, and she was moving out the next day. When I woke up, I felt like I was going to move in. So I borrowed some money from my dad, and it was happening. Soon after, I got a job with Apollo Leisure, which owned The Dominion Theatre, Apollo Victoria and Hammersmith at the time.
I decided that I wanted to learn more about stroke. I was still frustrated and angry. I can’t do a fun run dressed up as a banana to do the marathon, but if I put my mind to it, I can do something fun. OK! Magazine was around then; it featured many parties. I wrote to Mark Moody, who did all the parties, saying if I put on a party for the Stroke Association would OK! Magazine cover it? I got a fax back which said, Yes, we will cover this event. I door-stopped people, I had read that Jamie Oliver’s wife’s father had a stroke, and Patsy Palmer lived just around the corner. I went to this place called Denim on Martin’s Lane and persuaded Terry Hart (who is still a friend and Rye regular) to give me their venue, and I called it A Night With Nick*.
It got in all the press; the EastEnders lot came Barbara Windsor, Sid Owen, Patsy. Before Instagram and social media, it was fantastic, and I’d done it. It would make my mum proud that I haven’t done something, tragic. It was glamorous, and everyone looked stunning. I thought this was where I wanted to be, but I didn’t know how to do it yet.
www.lastminute.com was starting; I met up with Martha and Brent, the owners and I wrangled a job as head of entertainment and set up that department. When I started, there were approximately 50 employees; by the time I left, the company had about 2,000 members. I was meeting people and making sure I would connect with charities to see whether I could help them. I carried on A Night With Nick and now Martha sponsored; we’d sell tickets, and it was just a fantastic time when you could do anything. I had people like Robbie Williams and Kylie come!
“I was not raising money; I was raising awareness, which has always been my thing. It is not about writing a cheque but about holding a hand. There are loads of people with the means to write a cheque and solve world poverty. But they’re not going to do it.”
When I turned 30, I decided I needed to do something more, this time in the public eye. So that was my sole goal; how do I do it? I thought, I need to bite the bullet and go and work in television. So I gave up everything and became a runner for Shine, Liz Murdoch’s TV company.
It was humiliating to me. I was making cups of coffee for people half my age who were having massive TV shows. So many times, I thought have I done the right thing. But I learned about television, development, writing, talent and how to treat people. Around Christmas time Liz Murdoch said Nick; we need to terminate your contract. You’ve been a runner for seven months, most people go on to do something extra, and you haven’t.
Then like a fairy tale, 10 minutes later, I hear this big cheer from the church on Kensington High Street. They were saying, Yay, we’ve got the commission. I asked what the show was? He said it’s a new daytime show for Russell Grant, the astrologer; it’ll be on Sky One. Liz and Sally Ann, the producer, turned to me and said would you be his co-host?
I had a box of all my stuff and one foot out the door. Within 20 minutes, I was signing a contract to become a host of a TV show on live television every day for the following year.
I was getting in the press, and people knew who I was because I was on the red carpet, hosting and interviewing all these people. So I saw the opportunity to ask the talent I interviewed whether they would come to my events, and they did. Suddenly instead of a quarter of a page in OK! Magazine, I’d get three pages and in the Evening Standard and newspapers. The mention of A Night With Nick event and stroke peppered through every article. I was still frustrated that other charities received all the media attention; it is still the same today, but I am hopefully changing that.
Then I got a job in Canada as a reporter for CTV as their UK reporter. Then I was on the Lorraine Kelly Show as a lifestyle expert, which I did for three years. I was on it every week.
The world of TV is all smoke and mirrors; it’s not well paid. You might look like you are living this lavish lifestyle because you are invited to fantastic events at places like The Royal Albert Hall, The National History Museum or the Elle Style Awards. I was everywhere, but you need to get clothes to look the part. You’re on national television, but you’re getting paid, say, hundred pounds for an appearance; after tax, it’s nothing. So I had to get myself a job.
What was that job?
Nick. I set up my own business, a PR and event agency called East Of Eden PR, at the time. We started pitching; I went to see the guys at Shine;
they had been doing Project Catwalk. I pitched to do their closing party. The next day they called me up and said, would you like to be the new judge on the show? I thought, what? They said we think you’d be a brilliant judge on Project Catwalk. A big TV show on Sky One, which Kelly Osborne was hosting. It changed my life, and I went on to do 24 Hour Catwalk in America. They called me the Simon Cowell of style.
I realised that fashion is probably one of the most significant conduits to education, everybody wears clothes. However, I believe it is not used enough. So first, I did The Lovely Black Dress Collection with Little Mistress, a fast fashion brand. We did ten black dresses, and I loved drawing from my art college days. That did well; they sold out, made a lot of money for charity, and got stroke out there.
Then I partnered with Boohoo for five years; it was called Famous Last Words. The reason we did that was that when you have a stroke, a lot of people can’t articulate. So I asked celebrities like Mel B, Meghan Markle, and Eva Longoria what their famous last words would be. And we made them into slogan T-shirts. They became a best seller; they went everywhere and got talked about.
So that sounds like the precursor to setting up Style For Stroke?
Nick. Yes, so five years ago, I decided to make Style For Stroke into a charity. To use fashion to spread the word and educate people about stroke. For example, a T-shirt with a slogan can be a conversation starter and help spread awareness.
I set up the Style For Stroke foundation because I wanted to raise funds I could pass on to various charities. I wanted to look at how and where the money is spent. Lots of money goes to research and admin, amongst other places. I wanted to ensure funding made it to the right places.
So we give it to different charities; at the moment, to InterAct Stroke Support, a fantastic charity that sends actors into stroke units to speak and help them with their speech development. Also, the actors read to people who’ve had a stroke to help them stimulate their brains.
The second charity is called the Billy Elizabeth Wood Trust. Billy was a girl who worked in my office about three years ago, who was only 25 when she had an aneurysm and passed away.
Then the Stroke Association, the most significant stroke charity in the UK, the money we give to them helps people who potentially have lost their living.
So that is what we do. And how we do it is through fashion. We have a collection every year; we partner with a company called Tee Mill, a sustainable fashion company. I ensure that everything we do is sustainable; the T-shirt material comes from off-cuts. So it is dead stock and made to order.
This year’s collaboration is with a fashion brand called Unhidden. They create clothing for people who have got a disability; lots of stroke survivors have a disability. For example, they can’t put something over their head, so it’s great to be able to have poppers and other fastenings on clothing help them.
Also, we host a ball every year; I do that with Alexandra Burke, who won the XFactor; she is a brilliant performer and a passionate fundraiser. Unfortunately, Alexandra’s mother also suffered a stroke eight months before her death; she was only 53. Nevertheless, she’s a force for good; we do this big glamorous event in the centre of London, where we raise money with auctions and put on a fabulous gala.
My ambitions for the Style For Stroke foundation would be to create its own day. I’ve been contacted by many people with wardrobes full of beautiful clothes that they haven’t been about to wear since a stroke. They understandably want to look and feel good, but maybe they can no longer do a zipper up. I want to go back to my fashion roots, visit fashion colleges and encourage the designers of tomorrow to visit people with disability to get back into their stylish clothes. Customised clothing will create a huge confidence boost.
In 2023 I am hosting The Fashion Run a 5K run in Regents Park where runners will wear their best clothes to look and feel fabulous all in aid of Style For Stroke and other charities.
“Stroke is the world’s most significant cause of disability and the second most cause of death after heart disease. It is not talked about, and if you want to raise money, it’s not as easy to find out where you can.”
A stroke is a serious life-threatening medical condition that happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.
Strokes are a medical emergency and urgent treatment is essential.
The sooner a person receives treatment for a stroke, the less damage is likely to happen.
If you suspect that you or someone else is having a stroke, phone 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance.