Failure & regret

Who most deserves an apology from you, and why?

209 answers answered between 1998 and 2026 one of 25 in The Q&A

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

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Public figures who have answered a question like this elsewhere. Quoted from the source shown, not written for FLAPSS.

Read by field Everyone Science and medicine 1 Arts and letters 178 Politics and public life 13 Business and finance 5 Sport 12
Read by age Any age Before thirty 4 In their thirties 37 In their forties 46 In their fifties 47 In their sixties 40 Seventy and beyond 32
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Ed Harris American actor and director
Dick Cheney for hating him for being one of the most destructive people on Earth.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 August 2007 source ↗
Robert Carlyle Scottish actor
To John, a really close friend who died last year. I'd love to see him one more time and say, 'Look, I'm sorry I wasn't around enough during your life.'
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 23 February 2008 source ↗
John Waters American filmmaker
To my teachers in high school - that I didn't punch them in the mouth for discouraging all my interests.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 13 September 2008 source ↗
Alison Steadman British actress
I didn't go to a retirement party once for someone who had been special to me and he died shortly after.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 January 2009 source ↗
Mike Skinner English rapper
To my dad for not making it back to Birmingham to see him while I was in London doing The Streets.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 24 January 2009 source ↗
Omid Djalili British stand-up comedian and actor
To my 17-year-old daughter Isabella, whom I described in an interview last year as "keen on maths".
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 August 2010 source ↗
Ice-T American rapper and actor
My kids, for not being around much.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 November 2015 source ↗
James Bay English singer-songwriter and guitarist
My girlfriend. I am away a lot and, as much as she understands, I’d like to say sorry for not being there.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 9 January 2016 source ↗
Stanley Tucci
My late wife – she died of cancer. We tried everything we could do to save her. I wish that I could have done more and that I could have been with her at the moment she passed away. I couldn’t be in that room, because I knew it would be so devastating that I wouldn’t be able to take care of the kids after.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 23 January 2016 source ↗
Gina McKee British actress
My brother: I never meant to kill your pet frog. I thought I was doing a good deed cleaning the mossy tank with bleach. Can I also say sorry to the frog?
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 30 January 2016 source ↗
Heidi Klum German-American model and TV host
When I was little, this boy would bully my friend and me all the time. One day, on our way home, we held him, put him to the ground and pushed his face full on into this big dog poo, and I’d like to say sorry.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 2 April 2016 source ↗
Eddie Izzard British comedian and actress
Nelson Mandela, because I didn’t do enough to stop apartheid. Now I have hopefully made amends.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 May 2016 source ↗
Billy Ocean British singer
My parents, because growing up you think you know more than they do.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 20 August 2016 source ↗

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