The Max Factor with Max Clifford
Above: Max entertains guests at the NorthSound Radio Business Chalmers Dinner
The Max Factor with Max Clifford...
- Max Clifford has kindly donated his fee for this month’s column to The Royal Marsden Children’s Cancer Unit in Sutton. For more information, visit their website: www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk
Foot in mouth...As usual, it’s been a manic but very enjoyable few weeks, with particular emphasis on speaking engagements of every description. From opening the Annual Conference for the National Association for Children’s Hospices, in Birmingham, to addressing the National Scottish Business Dinner in Aberdeen – then a fundraising dinner at Foxhills Golf Club, in aid of the Stephanie Marks Diabetes Appeal, quickly followed by my opening the first Middle-East media conference in Dubai.
All were memorable for different reasons; I was surprised to find out, for instance, that Aberdeen has 15 miles of glorious beaches. Also, putting my foot well and truly in my mouth in Dubai is something I won’t forget in a hurry.
Having been introduced by Andrew Neil, there I was making a keynote speech to 750 delegates from all over
the Middle East at the Dubai International Conference Centre. As I normally do at these events, I spoke for 30 to 40 minutes and then took questions from the floor.
Three or four questions in, I was asked by one delegate from Egypt, how I would promote Libya without using stars or celebrities. My answer was long, detailed and naturally involved my own experiences promoting other areas of the world. The questioner seemed quite happy, sat down and other questions followed.
That night, I was dining at the amazing Al Mahara restaurant at the seven star ‘Burj-Al-Arab’ Hotel, which incidentally you get to by submarine. I was enjoying the food and also the tropical fish, which were swimming all around us in a giant tank, when my partner Jo suddenly asked, “Why did you talk about Libya earlier on today?”
“Because I was asked how to promote it,” was my obvious answer. “No Max, what the man actually asked you was how you would promote Nivea!”
Knowing as I do that I am a little on the deaf side, I quickly realised my mistake, but the amazing thing was that not one person queried it, although they all must have thought, ‘what on earth is he talking about?’.
Scoliosis SOSMy daughter Louise has undergone many major operations since being diagnosed with chronic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the age of six. Of these, the scoliosis repair she underwent to correct a curvature of the spine was by far the most traumatic. It was an operation that involved two-part surgery over a period of days – firstly through her back and the second operation through her side – and the whole process involved removing a rib and deflating her lung to insert a Harrington rod, which was then fused in place using her rib.
Intensive care was the start of six weeks of hospitalisation, which included very painful physiotherapy, followed by six months in a brace during a very hot summer.
I explain all this by means of introducing a remarkable young woman, Erika Maude, who Louise and I met recently. At the age of 11, Erika was diagnosed with scoliosis and, like Louise, faced up to life threatening operations to correct this crippling condition.
Naturally desperate to see if there was an alternative solution, Erika’s family threw themselves into research worldwide. Eventually, they discovered Katherina Schroth, who developed her own treatment back in 1921 that has been used successfully in Germany and all over the world ever since.
Ten years later, now aged 21 and lovely and straight, Erika is living proof of the tremendous success of this non-surgical method of treating scoliosis.
Last year, with the tremendous help, dedication and devotion of her family, Erika raised the finance to open Britain’s very first non-surgical Scoliosis SOS clinic in Suffolk. Scoliosis affects over 3% of Britain’s population and I’m glad to report that many people in this country are already being successfully helped because of this courageous and enterprising young lady.
It may have been too late for Louise, but many others will undoubtedly benefit because of Erika and her family who intend opening another Scoliosis SOS clinic in the near future in London.
For more information, call 01394 389670 or visit www.scoliosissos.com
A novel affairBefore moving to New York, my friend Jane Huxley lived for many years in St George’s Hill, Weybridge, where she started writing and quickly established herself as a naturally gifted novelist. Her first novel, Penny Whistler, was a huge literary success all over the world and is about to be turned into a major Hollywood movie.
Her second novel, Summer Night, Winter Moon, is just out, and having read it, I’m sure it will also be tremendously successful.
It is a thrilling and cleverly constructed story of love and murder distorted by jealousy; a fast and compelling read that, for me, was impossible to put down.
Whatever Jane must have experienced during her time in St George’s Hill, I can only begin to imagine, but now having read two of her brilliant murder mystery books, I’m starting to look at this area in a very different light...
Finally, I would like to wish all the readers of
Surrey Life a very happy Christmas and all the best for 2008.
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