Pamela Stephenson Pics - Pamela Stephenson Photo Gallery - 2017 - Magazine Pictorials. Movie Stills. Event Photos. Red Carpet Pictures Helen Profile Bio Text Pamela Helen Stephenson Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born, Australian clinical psychologist, writer and actress who is now a resident in both the United Kingdom and United States. She is best known for her work as an actress and comedian during the 1980s. She has written several books, which include a biography of her husband Billy Connolly, and presented a psychology-based interview show called Shrink Rap on British television. Stephenson was born in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand. She moved to Australia in 1964 and attended the University of New South Wales and then Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art, from which she graduated in 1971. Stephenson was a regular cast member on television series Ryan. She moved to London in 1976, where she continued to perform.

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topic> is a member of the following lists: American sketch comedians<\/list>, Who is Pamela Stephenson dating?

Pamela Stephenson boyfriend, husband Pamela Stephenson and Billy Connolly have been married for 27 years since 20th Dec 1989. view relationship Relationships was previously married to Nicholas Ball (1975 - 1981). About Pamela Stephenson is a 67 year old New Zealander Actress. Born Pamela Helen Stephenson on 4th December, 1949 in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand, she is famous for Not the Nine O'Clock News in a career that spans 1971–present. Her zodiac sign is Sagittarius. Pamela Stephenson has been in an on-screen matchup with Mel Brooks in History of the World: Part I (1981). Pamela Stephenson Pamela Stephenson - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia I am Smart, Intelligent and Hard Working who Loves to help :) Pamela Stephenson Spouse Billy Connolly (m.

1989) Full Name Pamela Helen Stephenson Born 4 December 1949 (age 66) (1949-12-04) Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand Occupation Actress, clinical psychologist Children Amy Connolly, Daisy Connolly, Scarlett Connolly Books Bravemouth, The Varnished Untruth Education University of New South Wales, California Graduate Institute, National Institute of Dramatic Art Movies and TV shows Superman III, Not the Nine O'Clock N, Shrink Rap, Bloodbath at the House of, Stand Up - Virgin Soldiers Similar People Billy Connolly, Nicholas Ball, Ilya Salkind, Annie Ross, Richard Lester Joan rivers gets her head shrunk great in depth interview with dr pamela stephenson Sponsored Links Pamela Helen Stephenson Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand clinical psychologist, writer and actress who is now a resident in both the United Kingdom and United States. She is best known for her work as an actress and comedian during the 1980s.

She has written several books, which include a biography of her husband Billy Connolly, and presented a psychology-based interview show called Shrink Rap on British television. What is hot sex with dr pamela stephenson connolly Early life Stephenson was born in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand. She moved to Australia in 1964 and attended the University of New South Wales and then Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art, from which she graduated in 1971. Stephenson was a regular cast member on television series Ryan. She moved to London in 1976, where she continued to perform. Comedy and acting Stephenson had begun acting on television by 1972. In 1973–74, she starred as Julie King on the Australian TV series Ryan. After numerous television and film appearances, including acting the role of Josephine in the 1977 ABC production of Malcolm Williamson's opera The Violins of Saint-Jacques, she had another recurring role as Iris Reade in the UK series Funny Man (1981). She made a TV comedy sketch show pilot, "Stephenson's Rocket", which was not taken up.

Probably her most widely recognized television role was in the classic 1980s UK comedy television sketch show Not The Nine O'Clock News, alongside Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones (1979–82). Her parodies included Kate Bush in a song called "Oh England, My Leotard", and Olivia Newton-John in a song called "Typical bloody typical". She also had a small part in three episodes of the British TV police drama series The Professionals. Her personal contribution as a comedian added to the success of Not the Nine O'Clock News and led to a collaboration with comedy and satire writers Mike Lepine and Mark Leigh. This spawned a book, How To Be A Complete Bitch, and a board game. In 1982–83, she starred in the West End production of Joseph Papp's version of The Pirates of Penzance. She also featured in the American comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live (SNL) (1984–85), becoming the first female SNL cast member to have been born outside of North America.

Her characters on the show included Angela Bradleigh (Weekend Update commentator) and celebrity impersonations of Madonna (in a fake commercial parodying the singer's "Lucky Star" music video), Billy Idol, Debby Douillard, Peggy Ashcroft, Joan Collins and Cyndi Lauper. Sponsored Links Stephenson acted in a number of films, including Private Collection (1972), Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers (1977), The Comeback (1978), Mel Brooks's History of the World, Part 1 (1981), Superman III (1983), Bloodbath at the House of Death (1983), Finders Keepers (1984), Scandalous (1984), Ghosts Can Do It (1987), and Les Patterson Saves the World (1987). Other media appearances In 1993, Stephenson hosted the Australian lifestyle program Sex. In December 2010 Stephenson appeared in the eighth series of the BBC1 television show Strictly Come Dancing, consistently winning praise.

On 4 December she received a perfect score of 10 from each of the four judges for her Viennese Waltz and became only the eighth celebrity to do so. She then reached the final along with Matt Baker and Kara Tointon. On 18 December, with dancing partner James Jordan, she came third in the competition. Also in December 2010, Stephenson was the guest on BBC Radio 3's Private Passions, with a choice of music including Bellini, Satie and Debussy. In 2012, Stephenson travelled as a backpacker to Papua New Guinea in the Television New Zealand travel show Intrepid Journeys. Psychology Pamela H. Connolly, PhD, is a USA-licensed clinical psychologist. In her private practice in Beverly Hills. she provided mental health care to adult individuals and couples for a range of psychological complaints. Connolly's professional specialties include human sexuality. She was founder and president of the Los Angeles Sexuality Center, an online sexual research engine which operated for five years until she moved to New York. Connolly is a past Secretary of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT).

In 2002 and 2003, she served as conference program co-chair of the annual AASECT Conference. Connolly is also a member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association and the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health. Connolly was an adjunct professor at the California Graduate Institute (CGI) for 6 years, now a part of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She taught Human Sexuality and Sex Therapy, Advanced Human Sexuality and Sex Therapy, and Clinical Practicum in Sex Therapy. She also taught clinical hypnosis at CGI. She received her PhD in 1996 and then in 2009 received an Honorary Doctorate in Science from the Robert Gordon University for her contributions to the field of human sexuality. Connolly has completed research projects and other field studies on the gender-liminal people of Samoa, Tonga, and India. She has developed a psychometric measure, the Pre-Assessment for Trauma Plus (PAT+), to assess treatment needs in young offender populations which is now being used in some British prisons.

Connolly has presented the More4 TV show Shrink Rap, in which she conducted psychologically-based interviews with well-known people. Activism From the 1980s Stephenson campaigned to raise awareness of food additives and colors, particularly in children's confectionery. She appeared on the daily variety show Midday with Ray Martin (hosted by Ray Martin) and painted a picture using the colors she extracted from children's lollies in order to demonstrate how many are contained in them. She became involved in the Parents for Safe Food Movement. In 2010, Stephenson travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo with the international medical aid charity Merlin to meet the survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Personal life Prior to her current marriage to actor and comedian Billy Connolly, Stephenson was wed to actor Nicholas Ball. She first met Connolly in 1979 on the set of the BBC television show Not the Nine O'Clock News. The couple married in Fiji on 20 December 1989 and have three daughters together. Stephenson started practising Buddhism in 1979.

Politics In the United Kingdom general election, 1987, Stephenson was a candidate in the Windsor and Maidenhead constituency on behalf of the Blancmange Throwers Party – she came sixth with 328 votes. Travels In late 2004, she sold her house in Hollywood and spent a year on a sailing cruise around the South Pacific Ocean, following the path of Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Stevenson. She said she was inspired by Fanny (also married to a Scotsman) who had convinced her husband to travel to the tropics for the sake of his fragile health. Her travels were documented in her book Treasure Islands. The boat she bought was renamed "Takapuna" after her birthplace. A year later, she went on another voyage to discover the fate of an ancestor, a sailing captain who had disappeared in the South Seas. The voyage was the subject of a documentary for Australian television, Murder or Mutiny. Theatre production Stephenson formed a dance company in collaboration with Brazilian lambazouk dancer Braz Dos Santos, and wrote and produced a dance-drama stage production called Brazouka. Harley Medcalf was lead producer and Arlene Phillips director.

The biographical show told the story of Dos Santos and his dancing. Dos Santos also performed in the show. It premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2014 and toured South Africa and Australia through January 2015. Books As an author, Pamela Connolly has published seven books. Her biography Billy topped best-seller lists in Britain and several other countries. Head Case describes self-help approaches for a variety of mental health problems. She has been a regular contributor to ‘Psychologies" magazine, writes a column on relationships for The Australian Women's Weekly and has a weekly sexual healing column in The Guardian, written under the name Pamela Stephenson Connolly. Stephenson, Pamela (2002). Billy. Overlook Hardcover. ISBN 978-1-58567-308-7. Stephenson, Pamela (2003). Bravemouth: Living with Billy Connolly. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7553-1284-9. Stephenson, Pamela (2005). Treasure Islands: Sailing the South Seas in the Wake of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson.

Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7553-1285-6. Stephenson, Pamela (2005). Murder or Mutiny. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-1-84188-270-3. Stephenson, Pamela (2009). Head Case: Treat Yourself to Better Mental Health. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7553-1282-5. Stephenson, Pamela (2011). Sex Life: How Our Sexual Encounters and Experiences Define Who We Are. Vermilion. ISBN 978-0-09-192985-5. Stephenson, Pamela (2012). The Varnished Untruth MY STORY. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-84983-921-1.

Pamela Stephenson | Articles | The List Pamela Stephenson 3 Aug 2014 Glitz and glamour on the dancefloor Of the two big Brazilian dance shows in this year’s Fringe, this is definitely the glitzier, more Hollywood option between the two. It’s a hair-straightened, tightly choreographed, Katy Perry and Pharrell-soundtracked stage show; a Strictly Come Brazil… 31 Jan 2012 TV Gossip Rosemary Conley was inspired by Anita Dobson to take part in 'Dancing On Ice'. The fitness guru was so impressed with how the former 'EastEnders' actress and psychologist Pamela Stephenson fared in BBC One show 'Strictly Come Dancing' in previous… 18 Jan 2011 TV Gossip Pamela Stephenson believes 'Strictly Come Dancing' has given her the body she's always dreamed of. The 61-year-old psychologist - who is married to comedian Billy Connolly - came third alongside professional dancer James Jordan in the BBC One show… 14 Jan 2011 TV Gossip Pamela Stephenson's "concept of normal" has changed since 'Strictly Come Dancing'.

The 61-year-old star - who came third in the BBC One show - admitted she has found it tough to get back into a normal routine following her stint on the competition… 8 Jan 2011 TV Gossip Pamela Stephenson "cannot bear" the idea of putting on weight. The 61-year-old 'Strictly Come Dancing' star - who came in third place and lost over 40lbs during her stint on the show - admits she is "almost embarrassed" about how much weight she… 21 Dec 2010 TV Gossip Pamela Stephenson was worried people would think she was having an affair with James Jordan. The 61-year-old psychotherapist - who is married to comedian Billy Connolly - decided to openly address her crush on her 32-year-old 'Strictly Come Dancing… 18 Dec 2010 TV Gossip Pamela Stephenson has promised viewers a sexy 'Strictly Come Dancing' final tonight (18.12.10).

The 61-year-old star - who is preparing to battle it out against Kara Tointon and Matt Baker in the BBC One show - revealed she and her dance partner… 17 Dec 2010 TV Gossip Pamela Stephenson wants to keep her saucy 'Strictly Come Dancing' costumes to tease husband Billy Connolly with. The 61-year-old star - who is preparing to battle it out against Kara Tointon and Matt Baker in tomorrow night's (18.12.10) final… 14 Dec 2010 TV Gossip Billy Connolly has vowed to appear in next year's 'Strictly Come Dancing' if his wife Pamela Stephenson wins the show. The 68-year-old comedy legend is encouraging Pamela to put everything into her last dance, and reportedly believes he could do well… 12 Dec 2010 TV Gossip Pamela Stephenson has scored straight 10s for the second consecutive week on 'Strictly Come Dancing'.

The 61-year-old former comedienne - who is partnered with professional James Jordan - received top marks from each of the BBC One show's judges in… 5 Dec 2010 TV Gossip Pamela Stephenson wowed the judges and received a perfect score on 'Strictly Come Dancing' last night (04.12.10). The psychologist - who has been married to comedian Billy Connolly for 21 years - and her dance partner James Jordan also received a… 19 Nov 2010 TV Gossip Pamela Stephenson's comedian husband was "jealous" about her appearing in 'Strictly Come Dancing.' The psychologist - who has been married to Billy Connolly for 21 years - admitted her spouse was "nervous" when he heard she would be partnered… 17 Oct 2010 TV Gossip Pamela Stephenson topped the 'Strictly Come Dancing' scoreboard last night (16.10.10). The 80s comedienne wowed the judging panel with her dance partner James Jordan, who scored 35 out of 40 for their "mesmerising" rumba.

Judge Alesha Dixon told… Shrink Rap 24 Apr 2008 TALK SHOW More4, Mon 28 Apr, 10pm Alongside Billie Piper’s transformation from pop pixie and booze-sodden celebrity missus to respected TV actress, the most unexpected showbusiness career shift of our times has to have been Pamela Stephenson’s… Billy by Pamela Stephenson · OverDrive: eBooks, audiobooks and videos for libraries Biography & Autobiography Performing Arts Nonfiction A favorite of American audiences, Billy Connolly, who now lives in Los Angeles, is the outrageous comedian whose unsurpassed comedic talent has won him countless fans.Billy, the revelatory, poignant, and wildly entertaining biography is written by the woman who knows him best—his wife. With insight and objectivity, Pamela Stephenson, a clinical psychologist, takes us through the heartbreaking and hilarious life of a comic legend and what made him the man he is today. The descriptions of Scottish life evoke the poignancy of the Ireland in Angela's Ashes as she tells of the troubled, abused.

and desperately poor child in the docklands of Glasgow who grew up to shock and awe audiences around the world with his notoriously bawdy humor and a remarkable range of performances as a brilliant comic, a serious actor who played opposite Dame Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown , and the star of the U.S. television show Head of the Class. Adobe EPUB eBook 1.8 MB Pamela Stephenson (Author) Pamela Stephenson was born in New Zealand and, like her husband Billy Connolly, was originally a comedian. She appeared in a variety of movies and television shows, including Saturday Night Live. Pamela and Billy currently live and work in Los Ang... Bravemouth : Pamela Stephenson : 9780755312832 Pamela Stephenson Biography: Arts & Entertainment Review quote Mrs Billy Connolly's tale of an extraordinary year in the life of living with her husband is as insightful, entertaining, serious and wacky as you'd expect from the author of Billy. Bravemouth is the ultimate insider's view of his filming, his charity works, his 60th birthday party. It includes personal insights into what makes him tick, and what makes her tick (it's her year too).

It's a celebration but it's interspersed with serious reflection - both on what he does and what she does (the contrast between the inherent seriousness of her work as a psychologist, compared to the zaniness of his comedy). The nature of fame, the challenges of age, the triumph-over-adversity are all themes underlying the many anecdotes that combine to make this highly involving. show more About Pamela Stephenson An Australian born in New Zealand, Pamela Stephenson is famous for her starring role in 'Not the Nine O'Clock News' and other TV and film work. She and Billy live in the Highlands and Los Angeles, where Pamela works as a clinical psychologist. Since the publication of BILLY, she has embarked on an additional career - that of bestselling author. show more Review Text Further incisive revelations distinguish actress-turned-psychologist Stephenson's follow-up to her perceptive biography of husband Connolly (Billy, 2002), a noted Scottish comedian and actor. Though this sequel loosely follows the year Billy turns 60, it's as much about Stephenson herself.

Each chapter begins with a recollection of his past-searching trashcans for sledding materials, sneaking his Protestant friends into a Catholic teenagers' dance, becoming a paratrooper while on National Service-and then segues into his birthday year. The family alternates between Scotland and Los Angeles, with much traveling in between. Billy is on location in Canada and Somalia; Pamela takes their two teenaged daughters to India, where they visit the shelters established by the Connollys for streetwalkers' children. Billy is ambivalent about his birthday, still subject to frequent nightmares in which he relives his troubled childhood: his mother left home, he was reared in a Glasgow slum by sadistic aunts, his father abused him. But Pamela continues her preparations for the August celebration, a weekend-long extravaganza at their estate in Scotland that includes the reenactment of a medieval battle, kilted pipe-bands, the honoring of the haggis, and a guest list studded with luminaries (Judi Dench, Bob Geldof), as well as Billy's mates from his pre-fame days, when he worked as a welder.

Billy survives, admitting that he normally doesn't like birthday parties but absolutely loved his own. This naturally pleases Pamela, who is acutely aware of the demons in her man's past, even though he stopped drinking and taking drugs in his 40s. She follows up the weekend blast with a (slightly) lower-key celebration on the actual day later in the year in Fiji, where she's studying a group of transgendered Fijians. Evident throughout the witty text is her crucial role as a loving but concerned monitor of her husband's life. More fan fodder, enlivened by Billy's witty observations. (Kirkus Reviews) show more Follow us Facts about Pamela Stephenson - The Meaning Of The Name The Meaning Of The Name Toggle navigation Gender: Female Occupation: Actress For privacy reasons, we cannot provide the meaning of this celebrity's name! Instead, please find the Numerology Interpretation for that name. The Growth number corresponding to this first name is 3. Interpretation: Learn more with our free Numerology Tool Which stars are celebrating their birthday today? Check our and find out celebrities born on your birthday.

Biography Pamela Helen Stephenson Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand clinical psychologist, writer and actress who is now a resident in both the United Kingdom and United States. She is best known for her work as an actress and comedian during the 1980s. She has written several books, which include a biography of her husband Billy Connolly, and presented a psychology-based interview show called Shrink Rap on British television. The section "Biography" of this page contains content from the copyrighted Wikipedia article " Pamela Stephenson "; that content is used under the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) . You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL. Interview: Pamela Stephenson, psychologist and author - The Scotsman Interview: Pamela Stephenson, psychologist and author Pamela Stephensont. Photo: Debra Hurford Brown Lee Randall Have your say PSYCHOLOGIST and author Pamela Stephenson solves other people’s problems. But after a crisis of confidence she finally realised it was time to book an appointment with herself Pamela Stephenson is a difficult interview, though not for the reasons you’d imagine.

She’s not snarky and she doesn’t try to psychoanalyse me. Nor is she difficult because she’s exhausted, though her fatigue is palpable when she appears at the door engulfed in a white towelling robe, a doll-like figure in heavy false eyelashes, with masses of fair hair and a wide, expressive mouth. Would I mind terribly if she doesn’t change? She’s been climbing in and out of frocks all day for a photo shoot that’s just ended. That explains the glamorous detritus – boxes of shoes, racks of gowns – I followed down the corridor to her suite at the Savoy. No, Pamela Stephenson is a difficult interview because she’s stolen all my questions. Damn near every one of them crops up in her memoir, The Varnished Untruth. Two days after finishing Stephenson’s compelling and emotion-churning memoir I saw what she’d done there. What a clever woman. There are hints in the introduction, where she flaunts her familiarity with the genre, promising to drop names because she knows we want her to. Then she wonders, “How shall I portray myself?

Wife, mother, psychologist, writer, comedian, actor, dancer, diver, gypsy, dreamer, rich girl, poor girl, beggar girl, thief...” She reveals that she’ll approach memoir-writing as she would a one-on-one encounter, starting with an attention grabbing entrance to pique our interest. Sure enough, line one, Chapter One reads: “Just before last Christmas, I broke a tit.” Then she’ll slowly pull the focus away from herself, so we’ll realise that she’s actually shy, quiet, and extremely private. All the while she’ll be watching for signs of untrustworthiness, ready to snap down the shutter if she feels under threat. Summing up, she writes: “The one thing I know about myself for sure is that I am ridiculous… I think I am also passionate and brave, although this apparent fearlessness usually hides deep-seated, abject terror.” She’s also a “compulsive caretaker” and an adrenalin junkie, and speculates that regular jolts of stress hormones serve to keep her propensity toward depression in check. Complicated and maybe a little crazy? All that and more.

Never before in my note taking have I written a sentence to compare with: “Worked very hard, toured the world with her kids and her snake and two dwarves, doing comedy shows, but became disenchanted with making movies and telling jokes.” The Varnished Untruth is structured as a dialogue between analyst and analysand. Though self-diagnosis is frowned upon in clinical situations, the format works here because she’s a licensed clinical psychologist with a PhD in human sexuality. But it also means that all questions along the lines of: “Do you think you did this because of that?” are gazumped by a text that regularly asks, “Do you think you did this because of that?” Stephenson booked this “appointment with herself” after undergoing extensive physical renovation: she’s a plastic surgery enthusiast, and her fear of ageing is one of the her memoir’s themes. While recuperating in Brazil she saw women of all shapes and sizes at ease with themselves, frolicking in teeny bikinis. Why, she wondered, would an educated, insightful woman suffer so for her vanity? “At least I was smart enough to know I was in trouble [and] that the answer to that vital question lay somewhere in the mire of my elusive, murky past.

And it clearly lay far beyond any discoveries that had been made during the 30-odd years of therapy I’d undergone with a dozen well- respected mental health professionals. Therapy is like peeling an onion – layer by layer by layer, until you get down to the raw centre. For some reason I’d never really got to the core. Yes, there was no other choice left: time to book an appointment with myself.” Hence the warts-and-all tour of her psyche. Make that selected warts. For all its candour about many things, notably her family of origin, Stephenson manages, with a distracting swirl of her skirts, to swerve past certain intimate topics. For example, describing her sexual history she writes: “I have definitely put it out a bit.” But lurid stories there are not, and casual readers might come away thinking she’s had just a handful of lovers, two of whom she married. Stephenson was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in December of 1949, the eldest of three girls. From the age of four she lived in the Sydney suburbs, and she has an Australian passport. Her parents were academics – her father a zoologist, her mother a biologist.

They were cold, remote and often cruel, telling her outright that she was an experiment. She writes: “Did they deliberately deprive me of love and comfort to see how I’d turn out? Sometimes it felt that way.” They had huge expectations of their first born, who began reading at three, and tested high on IQ exams. Aged seven, she was bounced into a higher grade, where she was bullied and a social outcast, nevertheless driven to excel academically because “my father made it clear that second place was unacceptable”. That lack of nurturing left its mark. “I had this thing about touch. I really crave hugs and touch, but when I get into that position, I feel slightly anxious, like it makes me sad, because it reminds me of what I missed. It happens to a lot of people who haven’t been held as children.” She tells me that after the book went to press she learned that her mother – who struggled with depression and lack of self-esteem – was identified as a tuberculosis carrier while growing up in Fiji. “She was put in an isolation ward. Then she did become ill with something else, and was very sick.” Well that’s a bit of context. Imagine being told you’re Typhoid Mary?

Surely it would leave you terrified of getting close to anyone? “Exactly! You’re thinking, ‘I’m toxic.’ It’s possible. That was a generation… and with their backgrounds… I can make all kinds of excuses. They didn’t have a clue [what they were doing.]” Yet nature’s patterns are funny. Like her parents, Stephenson had three biological daughters – in addition to raising husband Billy Connolly’s son and daughter from his first marriage – and even caught herself dressing them identically, despite raging against the loss of individuality when her mother used to do it. With a laugh of acknowledgement, she says, “It’s an unconscious thing. We parent by rote. We really have to get up very early in the morning to do it differently. I was always second guessing myself about that, and trying to learn from good parents. I just didn’t know what to do. I was very, very protective, very. But I never thought I’d bond with my kids. I was genuinely terrified – because I didn’t feel the bond with my mother, so I thought, that’s it, I won’t be able to.

I’d managed to bond fairly well with Billy’s children, but I was worried about babies, when they can’t talk and you can’t explain stuff. Of course a lot of it is biological, and it really came very naturally.” To her perhaps, though her parents clearly lacked that biological wiring. Twice, when she desperately needed their support, she received the opposite of solace. As a teenager confused by puberty and its physical changes, she received little in the way of empathy or explanation from her mother, who struggled with her own body image. “Maturing seemed to be a sinful process,” writes Stephenson. She was definitely interested in boys, and one of her early dates took her to a party, keeping her out past her curfew. He’d been drinking, and as he drove her home he collided with another car. Two people died and Stephenson was badly injured, but her mother’s response was, “If only you’d left the party on time, you wouldn’t be suffering like this and all those people would still be alive.” By 16, fuelled by hormones and curiosity, she was regularly sneaking out at night.

Losing her virginity to a 35-year-old junkie left her with glandular fever and gonorrhoea. When she was seriously ill her father visited her sickbed to say, “You were supposed to keep yourself clean until marriage. You are no longer my daughter.” Then he kicked her out of the house. Is it any wonder that she’s hypersensitive to rejection? When she met Billy Connolly they were both married, Stephenson, to Nicholas Ball, who starred as television’s Hazell. She was a jobbing actress and comedienne not long out of Australia, who’d landed a plum job as the only woman on Not the Nine O’Clock News. Connolly was already famous, though she hadn’t a clue about that. Both were practitioners of take-no-prisoners comedy. As she explains it: “I had no idea who anyone was so I wasn’t afraid. I didn’t understand British society or politics, and I didn’t know or care if I was offending anyone.” They connected immediately – a clear case of damage calling out to damage. In Connolly she recognised a fellow survivor, though it wasn’t until years later, when she wrote his biography, that Stephenson understood just how profoundly he had been hurt.

They’ve been married since 1989, and it’s an intriguing union, one that’s survived Connolly’s addiction issues – he gave up drink and drugs when Stephenson threatened to leave – and many personal upheavals on both sides. During their more than 30 years together Connolly’s career has seen him star in an American sitcom, triumph on the big screen, make television documentaries and continue to tour as a stand up. Meanwhile Stephenson turned her back on showbusiness and earned her qualifications in psychology. She spent time on Samoa studying transgender people, and turned her analyst’s eye on her husband’s psyche to write the award-winning Billy and its follow up, Bravemouth. She also spent two years sailing the high seas, and most recently, enjoyed success as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. All this while raising five children, with all their personal challenges. You hear so often about couples with much less on their plates who grow apart. What’s their secret for embracing constant change? “Couples have trouble staying together because we go through so many developmental stages and unfortunately they don’t happen at the same time. But if you understand that and can have a reasonably high level of tolerance – marriage requires tolerance.

We also don’t spend that much time together, or more to the point, we spend a certain amount of time apart. If Billy’s working on a movie then I get a break, and if I’m doing something somewhere he gets a break. I think that does help for us. For other people, that would kill it. Some people wouldn’t be able to sustain separation. It depends on who you are. But we’ve got a lot of kids, we’ve got grandkids now, and we are privileged in that we can spend time apart.” Throughout the book Stephenson emphasises that they are outsiders. But that assertion sits alongside stories about spending time with the Royal Family – she gatecrashed Prince Andrew’s stag do, and their children played together – and other A-Listers. Surely they have half of Hollywood on speed dial? Laughing, she denies it. “There are several degrees of separation. You know this, too, because as a journalist you have a lot of access. We always felt like outsiders. Billy and I don’t spend a lot of time with friends. Everyone is so busy. Five years ago the Wall Street Journal did this thing about how nobody’s got time for friends any more. It’s so true.

And Billy has become more isolated as he has gotten older. I have to really force him into social activities sometimes. I understand, it’s hard for him.” Because people want him to sing for his supper? “There is that expectation. Let’s invite Billy Connolly, oh, by the way would you mind saying something after dinner? I try to get Billy to see that it’s a compliment, but he’s anxious, too, and he doesn’t really like playing anywhere where he doesn’t know the crowd, where it’s not his audience. He’ll say, ‘It won’t necessarily work and that’ll really detract from the way I feel about what I do’.” Another question puzzling me is her insistence that she’s unlikeable. The book’s final line reads, “Did I ever say I was nice?” Why keep daring us not to like her? “It’s like you push the envelope and dare people not to like you as an insurance against rejection. [Strictly] was such a surprise. I’d never experienced that before. When I did Not the Nine O’Clock News my comedy was very edgy, so lots of people disliked me for that. I had a lot of criticism. I wasn’t used to being publicly liked.

I was more used to being the smart, funny, maybe slightly scary, abrasive girl – and not particularly liked by women.” Were they afraid of an attractive woman who could steal their man? “I don’t know. I didn’t think of myself as being particularly attractive. I just didn’t ever feel liked. Strictly was a very new feeling. Somebody said if they see me dance, they’ll know who I am, so you’re very exposed, and that was odd, but it was also very nice. With the audience in the room on the night, and the messages I was getting, it was a very warm feeling. I really liked it, and I never thought I’d have that in my life, a massive amount of support from people. Because I think of myself as not being very likeable.” On such short acquaintance I’d say Stephenson’s not unlikeable, just unknowable. Now, more of her story is out there, and it makes for fascinating, occasionally harrowing reading. But like so many who are damaged in their youth, she’s erected an elaborate persona to protect her vulnerabilities. As we talked I watched her shutters opening and closing, and saw how she’d peep out, taking my measure.

It can’t always be easy living in her skin – but I’d wager it’s never, ever, boring. • The Varnished Untruth is out now from Simon & Schuster, priced £18.99, hardcover. BBC - Strictly Come Dancing 2010 - Celebrities - Pamela Stephenson Interview with James Biography Pamela Stephenson shot to UK fame in 1979 as a comedienne, actress and sex symbol thanks to Not The Nine O'Clock News. She met and married fellow comedian Billy Connolly and turned her comedy career on its head by pursuing psychology instead. She's now a well-known and respected Sexologist who believes dance and sex are intrinsically linked. We are sure to see her turning up the heat when performing on Strictly Come Dancing this year! I have a secret fantasy life about dancing..!Pamela Stephenson Career Pamela's early stage career in Australia included many leading roles at the Sydney Theatre Company based at The Opera House including Threepenny Opera, Peer Gynt and Edward Bond's Lear. In 1976 Pamela arrived in the UK to build a TV career. She was an overnight sensation in the hit TV series Not The Nine O'Clock News.

She was renowned for her impersonations of Angela Rippon, Jan Leeming, Kate Bush and Janet Street-Porter. She then focused her career in the US and featured in numerous episodes of Saturday Night Live. Her film career also grew including Superman III, Bloodbath at the House of Death and Mel Brooks' History of the World Part One. In the early 1990s Pamela took stock of her career as she felt burnt-out doing comedy. She studied psychology at Antioch University before graduating with a PhD in clinical psychology. She is now licensed as a clinical psychologist. In 2002, Pamela wrote a best selling psychobiography on her husband entitled Billy. This was followed by another book, Bravemouth. Pamela writes a weekly column for The Guardian entitled Sexual Healing. Background Pamela was born in Auckland, New Zealand but grew up in Sydney. She studied briefly at the University of New South Wales before transferring to Australia's national Institute of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1971. In 1989 Pamela married Billy Connolly in Fiji. They now have three children together: Daisy, Amy and Scarlett.

She and Billy moved from California to New York recently to be closer to their children who were at college on the East Coast. Pamela intends to start another practice next year. Trivia Pamela started practising Buddhism in 1979. Her sister Leslie is an opera singer in Switzerland. On Prince Andrew's stag night, Pamela famously hired policewomen's costumes for her, Diana and Sarah Ferguson. Are you a fan of Pamela and James? Why not join in the discussion at Pamela & James' Blog page - the home of " Team PamJam "! Or listen to Pam's interview on Woman's Hour. Dancing partner

Question: Who is the husband of actress/clinical psychologist Pamela Stephenson?
Answer: Billy Connelly