Richard Coles: When were you most embarrassed?

The question

When were you most embarrassed?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

A verbatim recurring question in The Guardian's Q&A series.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Richard Coles

British musician, writer, presenter and priest

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

My paso doble on Strictly Come Dancing would be hard to beat.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 June 2023 source ↗

Others on this question

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Tom Burke

Putting chocolate mousse in my agent’s face. Somebody had done it to me – that thing where they go, “Smell this, it smells funny”, and then they put it in your nose. A year later I was in this French restaurant with a very 1980s-style dessert trolley and, before I knew it, I had a bowl of chocolate mousse in front of me. And my agent went, “What’s that smell?”, and it felt impossible not to … I immediately felt awful and tried to apologise. He, of course, said that he found it funny. But I knew he didn’t.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 23 May 2026 source ↗

Marina Abramović Performance artist

Pretending I’m happy when I’m not.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 5 October 2024 source ↗

Nigel Havers

I was about six years old in a market square in Italy and my dad said, “Oh, those shorts would look perfect on you.” So he whipped my trousers off and I hadn’t got any knickers on.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 22 August 2026 source ↗

Marcus Mumford

One of the first TV appearances that our band made in America, on the Craig Ferguson show. I forgot the lyrics to Little Lion Man and then broke two strings.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 21 February 2026 source ↗

More from Richard Coles

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Question If you could revise one chapter of your past, what would you change? Failure & regret

My financial incompetence.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 June 2023 source ↗

Question How would you want people to remember you? Death & what remains

With an international holiday.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 June 2023 source ↗

Question As a child, what career or life did you imagine for yourself? Identity & self

A great composer. I wrote to Benjamin Britten to tell him this and that he was my third favourite composer. For some reason he didn’t feel moved to reply.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 June 2023 source ↗