Lisa Scott-Lee (CelebAir) Interview
Starting on Tuesday 2nd September 2008, ITV2 will be taking to the skies with the brand new show, CelebAir; with a real plane, flying to real places, staffed by real celebrities!
In this new eight-part series, 11 celebrities will take on a range of jobs on the ground and in the air to battle it out ultimately to become CelebAir’s star employee and win thousands of pounds for the charity of their choice.
After training at the prestigious Italia Conti Theatre of Performing Arts in London, Lisa went on to become one-fifth of the phenomena Steps in 1997, achieving four number one albums and 14 top five hits, a record which is only bettered by the Beatles and more recently Oasis. After selling over 15 million records, Steps split up at the beginning of 2002. Lisa has spent the last few months filming a documentary which she presented for Living TV exploring the pressures of being a celebrity mum, a subject close to her heart as she recently had her baby boy Jaden, with her husband and fellow CelebAir colleague, Johnny Shentall.
Favourite holiday destination?
Johnny and I love Dubai; we have actually got a holiday home there. I think it is great quality; it has beautiful hotels and wonderful weather all year round, great night life and beautiful beaches.
Any holiday disasters?
My worst flight was almost getting chucked out of first class, when H from Steps and I had a food fight. It had been a really long journey and we were getting a bit anti-social and a bit bored, so we started throwing chocolate cake at each other. We really got a ticking off from the crew, but now I’m on the other side I realise that was a bit naughty.
My three travel essentials?
Waterproof mascara; it’s also nice to have some sort of entertainment in the form of a book. I like writing on holiday whether it’s a song or a book, and I have to have music wherever I go so I would take my iPod.
If I could serve any famous passenger?
Who is really tasty? I would probably go for Brad Pitt, because he has always been gorgeous. It is always nice to have a bit of eye candy when you are flying. I really, really would not like to be served my John McCririck, because I don’t think he is a very nice man.
Am I a swimsuit or bikini girl?
On the beach definitely a bikini. Until I got papped it would have been just a thong, but now I tend to cover up, because the experience is mortifying. I like a bikini to get a tan, but I do prefer to wear a swimsuit when I’m swimming.
My favourite holiday anthem?
Boogie Tonight by Booty Love.
Am I excited or nervous?
I love the uniform. As soon as I saw the outfit and put it on I almost went into the routine for the Steps’ song Deeper Shade of Blue! And I’ve got to say I think Johnny looks really handsome in his. There is a lot of technical stuff we have learned during training and it has been really intense, but we will soon be qualified cabin crew (fingers crossed) and have learned all about emergencies.
How will I deal with awkward people?
I tend to get a nervous laugh. I’m a bit feisty, but we have been taught that the passenger is always right. So it is going to be really hard for me, but I’m just going to have to bite my lip. I think I would try to add a bit of humour into the situation. If in doubt, laugh.
How are you finding training? Is it harder than you imagined? What have you particularly enjoyed / disliked?
To be honest, at the minute I feel really bogged down with the amount of training, but I have got more respect now for air stewards and stewardesses. We didn’t realise how much training they had to do, but I’ve really enjoyed the practical side. We went to a fire station and learnt how to put out fires and we are all trained in first aid now. It has actually been really interesting and we’ve gained a lot of knowledge.
Is there going to be any rivalry between you and Johnny?
There already is on my behalf! Johnny is so laid back and he’s so cool and to be honest he’s really surprised me, in a good way. We’ve been together for 10 years now and I didn’t realise he was as intelligent as he was. I knew he wasn’t stupid, but he’s been getting 100% in every exam and I’ve been getting a bit cheesed off. Johnny has taken it all in his stride and that annoys me even more, because he’s just so blasé about it.
