She won't be invited back! TV presenter Fiona Phillips returns to her old school and accuses it of turning her into a 'vile shoplifter'
Filed under: Celebrity
Solent
But when bosses at Millbrook Community School in Southampton invited TV presenter Fiona Phillips back to wax lyrical about her time there, they got a bit of a shock.
For instead of extolling the virtues of her education at the school, the 51-year-old former GMTV anchorwoman donned her proverbial size 10 bovver boots – and gave her old school a damn good kicking.
In front of a gobsmacked audience, Fiona accused the school of crushing her aspirations and turning her into a 'vile teenager' who was arrested for shoplifting.
She claimed that before leaving with one O-level she expressed a desire to become a doctor but was asked by teachers: "Have you thought about hairdressing?"
She described the headmaster at the time as a man who 'commanded no respect whatsoever'. And she recalled how she and her classmates locked a teacher in a cupboard and threw another over a bush.
She went on the attack at a ceremony rebranding Millbrook as the £16million Oasis Academy Lord's Hill.
"It was a school rampant with hormones and no discipline, no aspiration and no encouragement," she said.
"I can remember being in classes throwing furniture around. We locked a fashion teacher in a cupboard and threw one over a bush, and that was normal behaviour.
"My mother was in despair because I was so vile to her. They used to come and pick me up from the police station after I had been caught for shoplifting. I was in fights after school – I won't even go into what else went on."
She said her mother could not believe that her conscientious daughter had 'turned into this vile teenager'.
"I left with one O-level in English language, purely because I read a lot and all my education came from home," she said.
Fiona added: 'I'm proud to say I went to Millbrook School. I'm not proud of the education I had there."
She added that she was angry the Millbrook area had seen 'hardly any investment in nearly half a century'.
Her harsh remarks upset many of those connected with the school, with the Mayor of Southampton, Derek Burke, a former governor of Millbrook, accusing Fiona of 'dramatic licence'.
He added: "It wasn't nearly as bad as she painted it."
After leaving, Fiona worked for a short time at Mr Kipling's bakery in Eastleigh, but decided to give education another try and gained a BA in English at Birmingham Polytechnic. She began her journalistic career at independent local radio stations in Sussex.
If you were invited to give a speech at your old school, what would you say?
Celebs remember their school days
- Christina Aguilera, mum to Max<p> ‘My school days were miserable. The jealousy got so bad that our neighbours slashed our car tyre.’</p>
- Billie Piper, mum to Winston<p> ‘I had my head in the clouds, was mad, neurotic and self-destructive, a very different character to the one you see today. I was saved mostly by my parents, friends and boyfriends but it could have gone either way.’</p>
- Clair Nasir, mum to Sienna<p> ‘September was always the month when I had my second pair of new shoes of the year. This joy always turned to disappointment at my mother's choice - Clarks in the early 70s weren't known for being the height of fashion.’</p>
- Edith Bowman, mum to Rudy<p> ‘You get to an age and boredom sets in when there are not enough things to inspire or motivate you. I definitely found that in the last year or two of primary school.’</p>
- Guy Ritchie, dad to Rocco<p> ‘At first, they all focused on the fact I was lazy and disruptive. My association with school was totally negative.'</p>
- Holly Willoughby, mum to Harry and Belle<p> ‘At school I was always known as Flat-Chested Willoughby.’</p>
- Jamie Oliver, dad to Poppy, Daisy, Petal and Buddy<p> ‘I really decided to cook when I was about 15, for two reasons. The first reason was I really loved it and found it very natural. The second reason was my exam results from school were terrible, it was all Cs, Es and Fs. So I thought 'Oh no, what am I good at?' I decided to go to catering college in London.’</p>
- Jessica Alba, mum to Honor and Haven<p> ‘I'd eat my lunch in the nurses’ office so I didn't have to sit with the other girls. Apart from my being mixed race, my parents didn't have money so I never had the cute clothes or the cool back pack.’</p>
- Jude Law, dad to Rafferty, Iris, Rudy and Sophia<p> ‘I didn't do badly at school but I was more interested in drama and school plays than anything else. My mum and dad didn't have a problem with that and encouraged me. I think I was about six when I did my first school play. My parents also encouraged me to take my education seriously just in case things didn't work out in acting. I hated it at times but I got through it.'</p>
- Liv Tyler, mum to Mylo<p> ‘I quit when I was 14. I always hated school, uniforms, having to sit behind your desk all day. I don't need education like that.'</p>
- Myleene Klass, mum to Ava and Hero<p> ‘I loved the school uniform at St Mary's RC Primary. It was so exciting to wear a tie, and my dad showed me how to do a Windsor knot.’</p>
- Pink, mum to Willow Sage<p> ‘I fought a lot but I learnt a lot. If other kids do the same that is up to them, everyone has a right to their own experience. I'm just glad I was lucky enough to survive.'</p>
- Brad Pitt, dad to Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne<p> ‘I had the usual sort of fights over girls. From memory, I won one - probably because I took a cheap shot like grabbing the guy's nuts, or something - and lost one. The only serious damage was to my ego.'</p>
- Natalie Portman, mum to Aleph<p> ‘My dad is still saying, ‘This being an actress thing is cute but don’t you think it’s time to go to grad school?’</p>
- Sara Cox, mum to Lola, Isaac and Renee<p> ‘I was a bit of a performer, trying to make people laugh. I once feigned paralysis just for the hell of it. I was five or six and just put my hand up in class and told my teacher I couldn't move my legs and had to be carried home to the doctor's. Then I skipped out of the doctor's surgery.’</p>
- Tom Cruise, dad to Suri<p> ‘I didn't have many friends. I was dyslexic and a lot of kids made fun of me. That experience made me tough inside because you learn to quietly accept abuse and ridicule.’</p>
- Victoria Beckham, mum to Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper Seven<p> ‘It was miserable, my whole schooling, miserable. I tried to be friends with people, but I didn't fit in. So I kept myself to myself.’</p>
- Kate Winslet, mum to Mia and Joe<p> ‘I was bullied for being chubby. Where are they now?’</p>
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