My Secret Life: Jimmy Osmond

Singer & panto star, 45

Interview by Charlotte Philby
Saturday, 20 December 2008

Jimmy Osmond is playing Buttons in Cinderella at Northampton's Royal and Derngate theatre

The home I grew up in ... was a string of hotel rooms across the world. I was touring with The Osmonds from a very young age so I don't remember my first home, which was somewhere in Los Angeles. I grew up on the road, moving between cities with my parents and my brothers and sisters.

The moment that changed me for ever ... puberty, for obvious reasons.

My greatest inspiration ... my mother, Olive.

If I could change one thing about myself ... I'd be more fit than I am now, but it's hard finding time to get down to the gym.

At night I dream of ... happy things. Luckily, I don't have to deal with nightmares.

What I see when I look in the mirror is ... Buttons, as in the character, not the fastening device! For the next month I will be Cinderella's father's servant, so not just plain old Jimmy Osmond this Christmas.

My style icon ... The legendary Gianni Versace. I've been a fan of his cloth es since his first store opened in 1978, and the man himself had impeccable style.

My real-life villain ... I would have to say myself. I don't think it's fair to blame others.

I wish I'd never worn ... flares, which I wore a lot of. But then I was born in the Sixties so I had very little chance of avoiding them.

It's not fashionable but I like ... panto. Ooooh yes I do!

I drive ... a black Porsche Carrera S4.

The shop I can't walk past ... The Apple Store, which can work out to be rather expensive because there is always something new to buy once I'm inside.

The best invention ever ... The telephone. I've always been a great traveller, so I depend on the phone to keep in touch with people back home.

My favourite item of clothing ... I have an old black cagoule, which I bought in the UK years ago. I wear it all the time because it's so comfortable, and it reminds me of happy times.

You wouldn't know it but I'm very good at ... drawing cartoons.

You may not know it but I'm no good at ... playing the piano, but luckily we had Donny to fill that spot when we were young.

All my money goes on ... building my new home in Utah, which is where a lot of my family come from and still live now.

If I have time to myself ... I catch up on a few hours of long overdue sleep.

My house is ... still under construction but it will be really beautiful when it's completed. But I spend a lot of my time travelling, so in reality, home becomes wherever it is that me and my family happen to be at any given moment, which could be a lot of different places. It's quite confusing.

My most valuable possession is ... my wife Michele, and our four precious children: Sophia Michele, Zachary James, Arthur Wyatt and Isabella Olive Renee. I hate being without them for a single moment.

My favourite building ... is the Salt Lake City temple. It's a beautiful place and means a lot to me as it's where I married my bride.

Movie heaven ... James Bond, all of them played one after the other.

A book that changed me ... The Bible, which was read to me at a young age.

My favourite work of art ... 'Sitting Ducks' by Michael Bedard, from the charming children's storybook about an unlikely friendship between a duckling and an alligator.

The last album I bought/downloaded ...The soundtrack to the film version of Chicago, with Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard Gere and Renée Zellweger. It's filled with classics from the original musical, like "Razzle Dazzle".

In 10 years' time, I hope to be ... still working and doing new things. I don't like doing nothin g, I am a do-er in every sense.

The person who really makes me laugh ... My good friend, the born entertainer and full-time Yorkshireman, Billy Pearce, with whom I co-starred in 'Boogie Nights – The Musical' in Blackpool four years ago.

My life in seven words ... Crazy, fun, hard work – and worth it!

A LIFE IN BRIEF

The youngest member of the musical sensation The Osmonds, Jimmy was born in California in 1963 and remains the youngest performer to have a No 1 single in the UK singles chart, with his 1972 hit 'Long Haired Lover from Liverpool' (he was just nine). A devout Mormon, he lives in Utah with his wife and their four young children. Jimmy Osmond is playing Buttons in 'Cinderella' – this year's Christmas pantomime at Northampton's Royal and Derngate theatre, running until 11 January 2009.