Capital Radio host Sian Welby has revealed she was mistaken for a sex worker while trying to do an interview with the stars of Jurassic World: Rebirth.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Capital Breakfast: After the Show Show! podcast, the 38-year-old shared how staff at the Corinthia hotel ‘panicked’ when she showed up in a ‘smart outfit’… clutching knee-high, sequin-covered silver boots that looked like they’d just moonwalked off the set of Kinky Boots.
‘A couple of weeks ago, it was the big Jurassic World release,’ Sian began, setting the scene.
‘I had gone and done an interview after the Summertime Ball that Monday . And you know, we were all in a bit of a state on the Monday, weren’t we?’
Undeterred by the post-ball hangover haze, Sian powered on: ‘I couldn’t cancel this interview because it was quite a big interview. It was with Jonathan Bailey, Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali, who were all the massive stars from that film.’
‘Luckily, because we go to work so early, I still didn’t have to check out of the hotel we stayed the night in,’ she explained.
‘So after the [radio] show, I went in and I had a shower and I got myself ready for this interview. So I dressed myself all smart, but then I had to repack the bag with all my costume in and whatever. And the thing that didn’t fit in were my shiny silver sequin boots.’
She continued, laughing: ‘This interview is in one of the poshest hotels in London, the Corinthia,’ Sian said. ‘I’ve got a suitcase and some shiny stripper boots, right? I’m in reception.
‘It literally looks like the hooker’s arrived. It’s Pretty Woman. I literally look like they panicked when I walked in and they were trying to get me out of the way because I was bringing down the whole place.’
Jordan North, clearly floored, asked: ‘They thought you were a sex worker?’
‘Definitely, 100 per cent,’ Sian replied. ‘It was literally like, “Right, who’s she here for? Get her away, get her out of plain sight!”‘
To be fair, it probably didn’t help that the boots were essentially Studio 54 in footwear form. Chris Stark chimed in: ‘Do you think it was the boots?’
‘It was, of course,’ Sian confirmed. ‘I’m talking sequin shiny knee-high boots in my hand and a suitcase.’
Sensing she might be slightly out of place, she tried to sit in the hotel foyer to prep – but the staff had other ideas.
‘They were panicking going, “Oh God, how do we get rid of this?”‘ she said. ‘They couldn’t obviously say what they were thinking, but they didn’t want me in the foyer because of the boots and the thing.
‘They were trying to hide me, and they pushed me to a… they were like, “You could sit here,” and it was like a table hidden in a corner behind a pillar.’
It didn’t end there.
‘Then after I was writing my notes, they were like, “I’m sorry, we’re about to have the guests in now.” And they were basically like, “Can you move?”‘
She was then hilariously ushered away just in time for Scarlett Johansson and co. to glide in without tripping over a rogue glitter boot.
Ultimately, the misunderstanding was resolved and the interview proceeded as planned, but Sian certainly learned her lesson about using a suitcase big enough to fit her thigh-high boots next time.
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