THE IMPORTANCE OF BEIN ULRIKA JOHNSSON – THE SWEDISH BORN TV PERSONALITY WHO STARTED HER CAREER AS TV-AM’S WEATHER GIRL, HAS SWAPPED PRESENTING FOR A PEN AND PAPER. She started writing stories when she was nine; her father bought a typewriter home from work one day and her love of writing was born. Books and writing were her escapism during a difficult childhood and it was when she moved to England at the age of 12, that her passion for English; its language and literature, was ignited. The HBI caught up with Ulrika as she takes a break from her Team Captain position on BBC2’s cult show Shooting Stars, to chat about her exciting new venture. Hi Ulrika -you’ve just published your first novel, “The Importance of Being Myrtle”. Congratulations! Do tell us about the story. Thank you! It’s about a 58-year old woman, Myrtle, whose husband of 40-years dies suddenly and unexpectedly one morning. The novel deals with what happens to Myrtle as a consequence of this but also - and perhaps more importantly - what happened in her life before she married him. She has to deal with her daughters - who are a bit of a mystery to her - and really, she has to learn to live again.
How did writing the novel come about and what was the inspiration? I was interested in finding out what happens to a woman in her late 50’s - when she has to go back into the world and learn to relive - or indeed, start living. I think people in their 50s - perhaps women more so - are often forgotten about or become transparent. I wanted to show one character in her late 50s as grey and beige and another who is very colourful and opinionated.
How long did it take you to write and how did you get into the creative ‘zone’ to write? The idea for the book came to me about six years ago, but I didn’t put fingers to keyboard properly until 2009 - so, I guess it was nearly two years.
Are there any more books in the pipeline? I’d love to write more! If I could make my living writing books that people want to read, I’d be so thrilled. As a child, I always dreamed of being a writer - it seemed such a ‘romantic’ profession - all the walking around in a cold house, looking out on a fabulous view, wearing slippers and a cardigan and struggling with writer’s block. That’s my idea of heaven. But actually, on a serious note, I love the English language. It is not my mother tongue and I’m passionate about it. You have a fabulous language with so many wonderful, wonderful words. I love both reading and writing.
You’ve had a great television career, including working in both the UK and Sweden – what has been the biggest highlight of your career to date? I’ve had many highlights - I’ve done so many things over the 23 years in TV. I guess hosting the Eurovision Song Contest with Terry Wogan in 1998 was one. Being part of Shooting Stars has been a huge privilege. But writing my book has been a huge achievement.
I started 23 years ago. There are so many channels now and 100 times as many people trying to break in. Often - as with acting people want to go into TV because they want to be famous. For me, it was different. I ‘fell into’ it - discovered I was good at presenting and managed to make a career out of it. If you are still tempted, then there is only one thing you have to remember: the audience. Your audience is the most important thing - not you. It’s about providing something entertaining or informative not about purely showing off.
If you hadn’t followed a career in television, what career would you have liked to have had instead? Well, apart from working in a flower shop - I did want to become an actress. That is what I was going to university to study for but as I anticipated I would be ‘unemployed’ much of the time as actors often are, I spent my gap year doing a secretarial course and was raring to go out and work straight after - rather than study for a further four years and remain financially dependent on my parents.
Do you have any role models? Gosh, that’s a tricky question. I guess I like lots of aspects of lots of people, but I’ve always admired Goldie Hawn, Bob Monkhouse and Bette Davis. But I had a wonderful man who was a kind of mentor to me when I started out. His name was Bruce Gyngell and he was my first boss. I loved him and admired him. He was a maverick, caring and brilliant - all rolled into one.
You still have your roots in Sweden. How does life differ between there and the UK? I don’t have my home in Sweden any more - I sold it five years ago - but I love Sweden and go back as often as I can. The Swedes are natural, unaffected, egalitarian and non-confrontational. The Brits are feisty, friendly, opinionated and generous - but we all do have a fantastic ability to moan.
What plans do you have for the coming months? I’m in the middle of the publicity campaign for “The Importance of Being Myrtle” right now. But as well as that I’m juggling four kids and still unpacking boxes in the house we’ve spent the past 18 months building.
And finally, what is your motto? “Carpe diem”, although I often forget to do so myself! But it’s important. Life is short. My father died aged 53 - so it’s important to live much and live well.
What is your advice for people wanting to break into the television industry? To be honest, I would say don’t bother! TV is not what it was when
THE HBI says: A beautifully written debut novel about hidden lives and second chances, “The Importance of Being Myrtle” is sad, romantic and heart-warming, but above all, it is a story about one family and a life reborn. “The Importance of Being Myrtle” is available now at £6.99 in paperback.