David Harewood
British actor and presenter
My first girlfriend when I left drama school. I was a bit of tart.
Who most deserves an apology from you, and why?
Question
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Time & hindsight
Question
Aside from a property, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?
Money & investment
Question
What is your greatest fear?
Identity & self
Question
Which moment embarrassed you most?
Failure & regret
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
Question
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Daily life
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A fixed Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Walsall fans. I wanted to be a good manager but I was really bad with drink and gambling at the time. I should have done better.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 January 2023 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 209 →
Don Warrington
British actor
To my brother, because I wish I’d been there for him more.
Ed Harris
American actor and director
Dick Cheney for hating him for being one of the most destructive people on Earth.
Rylan Clark-Neal
English media personality
To the British public for my time on X Factor.
More from Paul Merson
View profile →That materialistic things will not make you happy.
Thirty-odd years ago I bought a black pinstripe suit which I thought was £900. But when I went to pay that was just the jacket – the trousers and waistcoat were extra. I didn’t have the balls to put anything back. I dread to think how much it cost me in the end.
Going back to addiction.
When you jump out of addiction and look back, things like drink-driving and sitting in crack houses are not good.
On holiday in Orlando with my wife, Kate, and kids just before lockdown. I wasn’t drinking or gambling. I was so happy, so at peace with myself – I’d been searching for that for many a year.
Nothing, because it’s up to me how I feel. I’ve been a millionaire three times and I still wanted to kill myself.
More on failure & regret
- What has been your biggest disappointment? 366 answers
- If you could edit your past, what would you change? 203 answers
- What is the worst thing anyone has said to you? 122 answers
- Which moment embarrassed you most? 122 answers
- How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a favourite failure? 69 answers
- What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? 36 answers
Also answered this
Max Whitlock, Gabby Logan, Joe Wicks, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mo Farah, Ian Wright
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All failure & regret questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject