nivks

[nivks]

Alexa

#alexa chung

[nivks]

#they held hands.......

[nivks]

NICK/RJ????? WE'RE DOING NICK/RJ IN THE YEAR OF 2024?????

#2013 me is frothing

[nivks]

throwback thursday

#god remember

[nivks]

Nick Grimshaw on kindness, queerness and life lessons as a grown-up.

Gay Times Honours Issue 2023

Friendly media mogul Nick Grimshaw, aka Grimmy, has done it all. He’s introduced his parents to Lady Gaga and, recently, even had tea with Harry Styles. Now, however, the former Radio 1 DJ is getting acquainted with something else – growing up. 

Getting older, no doubt, is terrifying. Carefree late nights with mates at sticky, flooded gigs are suddenly swapped for questions revolving around major milestones: partners, career, and, of course, kids. Close friends are no longer egging you on to ditch work and hangout or checking in to see if you’ve actually drank water. Instead, you’re trying to squeeze in a meetup between deadlines, dates and an ever-growing to-do list of life admin. And Grimmy is no different. Booze-driven afterparties have morphed into nourishing Sunday roast dinners with Mesh, his fiancé. Girl dinner Quaver packets have matured to conversations – on his glitzy new foodie podcast Dish co-hosted by Michelin-star chef Angela Hartnett – with Miriam Margolyes on how she likes her mashed potatoes. 

Having the big four-zero on the radar prompted a new perspective for the presenter. What was once maligned (“I felt like growing older was the end of something or deeply depressing,” Grimshaw admits) has been, mostly, embraced. It’s less coming of age but, rather, coming to age. Still, new digits doesn’t need to mean the fun is over. In fact, just last night, Grimshaw partied late with celebs Jake Shears, Amanda Lepore, Jodie Harsh, and Mutya Buena in Soho. Here in Holborn, however, things are much more mild. Sure, there’s some tasteful framed nude art to our right and Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ crackling over studio speakers but nothing beats a good old-fashioned launch party, or a karaoke b-day bash taking place later this evening in central London. 

Nursing a non-alcoholic beer, Grimshaw scoots across a black leather couch, arriving fresh from a photoshoot, something he describes as his “Naomi Campbell moment”. Comfortably clothed in a light-wash denim shirt and distressed jeans, he kicks off the conversation as if reuniting with an old friend. “I've never taken stock before. I'd never sat down and thought about myself, ever, and I don't think people do,” he says. Since his early twenties, Grimshaw’s image has been inextricably tied to two things: big names and his infamous towering quiff haircut. At some point, he acknowledges, you will have heard his quick-fire Mancunian comedy soundtracking your early mornings. Whether he was making jokes with Taylor Swift or having the early hours crashed by Charli XCX, the presenter became a known face at the Beeb. In his autobiographical book, Soft Lad, Grimshaw reminisces on the pull the small screen had on him as a young child. Armed with a love for glamour and theatrics, the events he saw on the telly called to a younger Grimshaw who dreamed of moving out of Manchester to take on London. 

Onboarding, in 2012, at Radio 1 to cover The Breakfast Show was something the podcaster remembers clearly; “There was a lot of pressure”. His days of spinning songs and connecting with artists over music became more than a vocation, but a specialism. While he does admit, sheepishly, that there were days his hangover ran over into work hours, he’s since taken time to reassess his habits and lifestyle. “When I was 23 I was getting absolutely wasted and doing it like a Geordie Shore night out,” he says. Now, Grimshaw is more conscious of being selectively sober in certain environments. “It can be really hard to go out and connect with people who are drunk and you're not drinking. But, sometimes, you have the best nights ever. I went out last night and went to a really fun party up until 1.30 am and had really good chats with loads of people.” He’s taking stock of the bigger moments around him, particularly ones that bring him closer to friends and family – “It's about learning. It's about growth,” he says earnestly. 

At 39, Grimshaw’s longevity has something to do with his candour and bonhomie. The most common compliment doled out about the presenter is his warmth. As a child, he recalls, the label “soft lad” was stuck to him, presenting his sensitivity as something to be ashamed of. But, years later, it’s become something – like his favourite Maison Margiela knit sweaters – that he wears openly. “At school, I always felt on edge that I was going to get beaten up or laughed at. When you've had that, you learn empathy and you think about how people might feel or what they're going through,” he explains. 

Realisng he was gay, as a child, filled Grimshaw with dread as he feared what it would mean. With limited queer culture references growing up (just Elton John and Lily Savage) his feelings were fully realised, aged 11, when he developed a crush on a poster of England footballer David Beckham pinned up on his bedroom wall. “You know what’s funny, not that I’m doing Miriam Margolyes press, but I saw her yesterday. I'd never met her and I went into her dressing room. Before I could say hello, she pointed and exclaimed: ‘You’re gay!’ and continued with ‘So, my dear, nice to meet you.’ As I got into bed last night, I thought about how that would’ve killed me if I was a teenager, but it was a really lovely bonding moment.” 

Though being a presenter and DJ took up most of Grimshaw’s early adolescent years, his move to writing has allowed him the space to trawl through his past years without expectation. From reassessing his comfort with queerness to realising the strength found in the LGBTQIA+ community outside of his town in Greater Manchester, Grimshaw is grateful for the relationships he’s built with those around him. “I learn constantly from the queer community. It’s that notion of being yourself and leaning into yourself which can be hard to do if you're queer, especially if you've had that knocked out of you when you're a kid,” he says. “The community are essential in helping everyone, and me, support one another.”

Soft Lad and Dish capture different versions of Grimshaw; the quirky characteristics of a presenter that couldn’t surface in a music hotbed. In his new roles, the presenter-meets-podcaster chats to hot-shot talent while unravelling stories centred around food, famous friends and frenzied stories. His book is an homage to his parents (“I realised how important they were shaping me – I love them contractually, but also really love them) and to his English and Irish roots. Bookended between stories of queer curiosity and his loathing for football, tales of community and camaraderie at Radio 1 surface. “I loved it when we had a great guest from the queer community. I had great times with Sam Smith, they would be a riot and would really gossip with us when the records were on and tell us stories that we couldn't have on the radio. Troye Sivan was a great time as well,” he recalls. 

Another memorable moment was his run-in with an early-era Lady Gaga, in Notting Hill, before she became Mother Monster as we now know her. “I did my first interview with Gaga years ago, for the telly, and it was when she was brand new. ‘Just Dance’ had just come out in America and she was making a bra out of gaffer tape on a dressing room floor,” he says, laughing. “I brought mum and dad along because they were in town so they met her right at the beginning of her career. Ever since then, whenever she'd come onto the radio show, she’d ask about my mum and dad.”

Grimshaw’s stories of famous crossovers are, understandably, endless – even if they’re ones he’s told plenty of times before. Up until recently, he’s remained embroiled in an ecosystem of music promoting a “product” but, now, he feels like his new projects allow for authentic conversations about people and their interests. His mantra, nowadays, is this: “Living in the full, truest form of yourself, without fear and judgement.” For a young Grimshaw, this unbridled queer joy took the form of “glamorous” drag shows where he dressed up as Cher for his family. Today, it’s about cooking in a kitchen packed with too many guests (and remembering to drink water). Turning 40, at one point, felt like a frightening due date. Now it’s a milestone Grimshaw is ready to take on.

#nick grimshaw

[nivks]

Nick for Gay Times x

#hiiii #nick grimshaw

[nivks]

Nick for the Gay Times Honours 2023 Issue

#ohhhhhh ily #nick grimshaw

[nivks]

nicholasgrimshaw Sporty Spice in Sicily✨

#miquita ily #also nick obvsly but! miquita #miquita oliver #nick grimshaw #nicholasgrimshaw

[nivks]

nicholasgrimshaw I come with exciting news....

l am going to be co-hosting the new BBC flagship music podcast, Sidetracked with the one and only @anniemacmanus.

A stroll through the week in music and our lives, we will chat about all the stuff from the world of music that really gets us going - from the sublime to the ridiculous. My elevator pitch is: Newsnight with a donk on it.

I am so excited to be working with Annie, she and I became great friends after she welcomed me into the BBC back in the day and I've never stopped being in awe of her - especially when it comes to her musical opinions. And really excited to be back in the BBC building with a truly amazing dream team making it.

Episodes will be out every Thursday - starting next week but you can subscribe now! The teaser episode is up to listen to, get it and subscribe via the link in my bio or wherever you get your podcasts ✨and we will see you every Thursday with all the music chat you need ✨

#aye! #annie x nick

[nivks]

nicholasgrimshaw Live from the Radio 1 retirement home ✨

#cbdgdgzcd #nick grimshaw #annie mac #toddla t

[nivks]

#LITERALLY THE FACT I LOOKED AT A CALANDER YESTERDAY and was like.... august 14th... sounds familiar. Anyway!

[nivks]

miquitaoliver Celebrating 3,476 years of friendship ✨ SUNDAY with my number 1 Schmoodge 💓

#remember the time nick posted a shirtless selfie to his insta story with 'SNATCHED' cos thats all i can think about looking at that 1st pic #miquita oliver #nick grimshaw

[nivks]

nicholasgrimshaw Hiyaaaaa I come with some news...the paperback of Soft Lad is coming in hot! It has a new look, a new feel, a new jumper and most importantly, a whole new chapter. Thank you to everyone who has read the book so far, I'm blown away by the daily messages from people who have connected with it in various ways and now here we are...a paperback for the daily messages from people that say ARE YOU DOING A PAPERBACK? | HATE A HARDBACK!! 🥰You can pre-order the paperback right now on Amazon, Waterstones, WH Smith and all good book stores Have you read it yet?

#soft lad

[nivks]

nicholasgrimshaw God damn it it's good!Had the best few days raving in a field, watching the sun come up with my best friends, crying my eyes out to Elton John, laughing my ass off, getting blisters and suffering chronic heartburn. Shout out to all the nutters that make it the best festival in the world!

#that last pic of him and aimee #glasto23 #nicholasgrimshaw #jun23

[nivks]

Glasto 2023 CREW via Aimee

#i miss nick and sara together

[nivks]

ticket for Fri London show!

I have a spare ticket for this Friday’s Wembley show, Front pitch at face value (£103)

hit me up if interested, can meet there or do Ticketmaster transfer whatever works 

#!!!!!

[nivks]

virginradiouk Radio royalty, Nick Grimshaw will be making his return to the airwaves on Virgin Radio UK! 👑📻

Nick will be in for Chris Evans on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch ALL next week! Don't miss it! 🥳

@nicholasgrimshaw #NickGrimshaw

#ChrisEvansBreakfastShow #VirginRadioUK

#on radio???? on radio????????????????? #nick grimshaw #may23