Where Have I Gone?: My Life in a Year

by Pauline Quirke

Pauline Quirke was a skinny child, a slim teenager, a curvy woman, then ­- according to her bathroom scales (curse them) - just plain fat. Yes, the 'F' word. Tipping the scales at nearly 20 stone, with creaking knees and a dodgy ankle to boot, at the beginning of 2011 Pauline had reached a crisis point. Something had to change, and fast.

It was never going to be an easy ride, but with her trademark warmth and sense of humour, Pauline recounts the highs and lows of the rollercoaster year in which she whips herself, and her life, into shape - with a fair few tales from her celebrated forty-year acting career thrown into the bargain. She reveals all: from the strain of working long hours away from home on one of Britain's most popular soaps to renewing her wedding vows and reuniting with her Birds of a Feather co-stars; from battling the bulge and facing the naysayers to rediscovering the joys of airline travel . . . without a seatbelt extension.

Honest and revealing, Where Have I Gone? is brimming with brilliantly funny anecdotes and truly moving moments. So put your feet up and join Pauline as she embarks on the most incredible year of her life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

320 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fab book really enjoyed it would highly recommend

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed this one. I know there wasn't much about her life in general but that's not what the book is about. Fair play to her for sticking with Lighter Life and I hope she managed to keep the weight loss off. I will continue on my weight loss journey although not quite so extreme.

[Carol Cropp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was totally inspired to loose 60lbs after reading Pauline's account of her weight loss journey. I didn't follow the same diet as she did but her experience gave me the incentive to try and get healthy. If Pauline could do it,then so could I.

[linda brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring read

Inspiring and enjoyable read
Of the struggles and determination that pauline endures in one year
Such an achievement to lose 8 stone in a year and i hope she has been able to maintain her healthy eating as that is also hardwork in everyday life

[Sarah Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this. Saw it advertised and hadn't seen Pauline in anything since Birds Of a Feather as I'm not a tele person hadn't realised how much she'd done since then. It was a really great uplifting story. I'm fighting a similar battle so it's good to know if your head is in the right place you can achieve anything.

[CA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good,

An interesting read, as I had enjoyed watching birds of a feather when I was younger. Funny how easy it is to forget that actors have such different personalities to their characters. The bouts of nerves was surprising.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy "vanilla" read written by an actress well-known in the UK though only glimpsed from time to time in the US perhaps via a t.v. series being shown there. The author is readable, fun, funny and provides hope and inspiration for anyone with a food addiction

[mrs susan palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining, honest and down to earth, a great read

I loved every minute of this book, honest and funny as usual, who can't love Pauline! A truly amazing l
Actress.

[Rachael M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and easy read. Semi interesting and funny at times, but not what I was expecting.

[Stacey Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed! Whilst I was reading it I could hear Pauline in my head speaking her words. Highly recommend! ✨️

[Deborah Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Oh I loved it, Thank you Pauline for a brilliant read. Sharing your life and career with us in total honesty.

[Rose McClelland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aww... I absolutely loved reading this! Pauline just seems like one of the most down-to-earth, loveliest people ever. It was fascinating to read about her weight loss journey. She managed to shed EIGHT stones in weight - going from 20 stones (a sumo wrestler - in her words) to just under 12 stone. She did this by complete ABSTINENCE - ie. NO FOOD AT ALL. She did the Lighter Life diet - where they sent her 4 food packs a day - all she had to do was add boiling water. I found this concept fascinating. She had tried many diets in the past - none of which had worked for her. Similar to an alcoholic who cannot have ONE DRINK, she was clearly admitting to herself that as a food addict, she just couldn't eat anything. The business of calorie counting/ weighing food etc, wasn't working for her - because inevitably she would end up cheating/ eating more than was planned. So it was really fascinating to discover that once her diet was confined to four food packs, and once there was no argument in her head about what she could or couldn't eat, then the weight fell off her.
It was also lovely to read about her time acting in Emmerdale; all the support she received from the other actors and about her theatre plans re Birds of a Feather. Reading about her family life; her husband (who is also her agent) and her son (an up & coming actor himself); it was nice to hear about what a grounded and happy family life she has. It was a joy to listen to. There were many moments where I laughed aloud and also many emotional moments where I had a tear in my eye.
The audio book was narrated by Pauline herself and, being a great actress, it was narrated in such an easy, natural style. It really was like sitting having a lovely cuppa with a great friend. Loved this.

[Adrianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I applaud Ms Quirke on her remarkable weight loss, but I found the book tedious and repetitive, with little revelation about the author/actress herself. I'm halfway though but I've given up. It simply doesn't hold my interest enough to bother persevering.

As for the writing itself, as I said, it's slow and repetitive, and the writer/editor in me was getting more and more annoyed. There may be some excuse for the editor (if indeed there was an editor) leaving 'X and me did something' in the journal part at the beginning, but there's no excuse for it in the narrative tale itself.

[Angelnet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very short and easy read. It is mainly about the year that she spent on Emmerdale and following the Lighterlife plan. It wasn't as detailed as I wanted it to be but an interesting read nonetheless.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable light hearted read from an actress i have always admired especially her fabolous weight loss and hopefully it will inspire me to do the same, my sister-in-law saw it on my table and couldn't wait to borrow it.

[Gary Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

BRILLIANT

Absolutely loved this book a funny and sad story about weight loss anyone who has ever been on a diet before will understand what she is going through
Such a big fan of Pauline this book made me love her even more

5 STARS

Would recommend to any dan of any show Pauline has been in

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice entertaining read. Pauline Quirke has recently lost a lot of weight using Lighter Life. She also included a few stories from her life and career.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting to a degree about the author's diet and losing all that weight which i find is a remarkable feat but not too much about her life though as I had expected

[Jessica F C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, especially if you're a fan of the actress. Lots of extras, amongst her issues with food.

[Doris Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this novel as I too am on a weight loss journey. Don't think I would of enjoyed it as much had she not written it whilst working her final year on Emmerdale.

[Paddy O'callaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shade above average, but no more.

[Sandra Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute fantastic book. It's been wrote from the heart.

[Sara Mallet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a great read as I never knew how much things she did or how much she Tryied to lose weight with lighterlife.