Surviving Michael Winner: A Thirty Year Odyssey

(Hardback)

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His emails came in blazing capital letters, shrieking from the page; on letters his signature was always followed by his Cambridge degree and the words 'OBE offered but rejected'; he went everywhere by private jet, loved to shock, demanded the best tables, never pulled his punches, and in his compelling Sunday Times 'Winners Dinners' column he could make or break restaurants with a few choice words. Michael Winner was more than a one-off. He was, perhaps, his own greatest creation! To know him was often to find oneself at the centre of a storm - and Dinah May, his assistant, sounding board, confidant and companion, was at its epicentre for over 30 years.

He might have been reviled by many but Winner could be charming, witty and generous, with a large circle of famous friends who knew him well enough to take the good with the bad - these included Marlon Brando, Michael Caine, Joan Collins, Andrew Neil and Roger Moore, Terry O'Neill - and he always had a glamorous woman on his arm - latterly, of course, his wife Geraldine. Now in this highly entertaining and affectionate book Dinah May recalls it all, bringing the outrageous Winner to life in vivid colour. But while she is always candid about him, she is also honest about herself, and against the expected background of star-studded opulence, an extraordinary story unfolds, sometimes comical, sometimes moving, but always utterly irresistible.

Reviews

Under the circumstances, it would hardly be surprising if this book was drenched in sour grapes. In fact, it's far more thoughtful and generous-spirited than that, prompted less by a desire for vengeance than a wish to understand - And although May has never written a book before and doubted if she would be able to, she proves a shrewd and vivid observer. Daily Mail An honest account of her life with the film director. Liverpool Echo An extraordinary insight into the outrageous behaviour of Michael Winner. Plymouth Herald

Author Bio

DINAH MAY was born in Irby on the Wirral, Cheshire. From the age of seventeen she was encouraged by her mother to enter beauty competitions, winning Miss Great Britain in 1976. She worked extensively as a model and has appeared in commercials and in TV shows such as Brookside, Harry's Game, Password and Where in the World as well as films including Death Wish III, The Wicked Lady and Claudia. After meeting Michael Winner in 1982 they became friends and she was his assistant and sounding board for nearly thirty years. Dinah's interests include cooking, swimming, fishing, sailing, walking her dogs and collecting photographs. She has two sons and lives in London.