Dawn O'Porter: What disappointment has stayed with you longest?

The question

What disappointment has stayed with you longest?

Originally asked

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

This exact question recurs in The Guardian's institutional Q&A pool.

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Dawn O'Porter

British writer, director, and television presenter

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Not winning Celebrity MasterChef. I am still gutted, despite many months of pretending to be fine with it.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 August 2026 source ↗

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Jonnie Peacock British athlete

I try not to have disappointments, because a lot of the bad things that happen in life teach you things.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 27 January 2018 source ↗

Philippa Dunne

I started my career not getting jobs, but then you learn that 95% of this job is not getting jobs, and you just have to make peace with it.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 June 2026 source ↗

Shakin' Stevens Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter

I never dwell on them.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 18 February 2023 source ↗

Jason Donovan

I got seduced by being a pop star, and why wouldn’t I? I think I could have made a few more career moves with films. But I was nervous. How do you move forward as an actor creatively if you are just appealing to teenage girls?

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 13 January 2024 source ↗

More from Dawn O'Porter

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Question What thought won't let you sleep? Daily life

Perimenopausal anxiety, the terrible feeling of impending doom, something awful happening to my children, writing deadlines. Apart from that, I’m quite chilled.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 August 2026 source ↗

Question Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them? Values & belief

My Auntie Jane. She took me in, aged 10, and, after my mother died, healed my broken heart by filling our dining room with food and people. Still cooking at the grand old age of 89. My icon.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 August 2026 source ↗

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

A drunk woman who threw epic dinner parties.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 August 2026 source ↗

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