Fay Ripley: 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.

Fay Ripley

English actress, television presenter, cookbook author

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

See my greatest fear!

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 26 November 2022 source ↗

Others on this question

View all 122 →

Richard Coles British musician, writer, presenter and priest

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

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

Ed Harris American actor and director

Modelling tuxedos at the Oklahoma State Fair in 1971.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 August 2007 source ↗

Sarah Hadland

Years ago, I was trying to get with one of the big agencies and I cobbled together a VHS tape of me in adverts and sobbing in The Bill, and took it United Agents for the attention of Dallas Smith. A week later I went back and said, “Has she looked at the tape?” And they were, like, “Dallas is a he, no he hasn’t and he doesn’t want to,” and handed it back to me.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 20 December 2025 source ↗

Lee Child

Appearing on US breakfast radio. I heard the DJ say that after the news we would hear from the author Lincoln Child. I had to choose between making a guy with a mixed-up PR release look like an idiot or pretending to be Lincoln. I pretended.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 June 2025 source ↗