Kim Kardashian, Bella Hadid and Anthony Joshua: in my glam magazine job, I saw how celebrities really behave

Olivia Petter’s debut novel about a one-night stand with a popstar shines a light on consent and celebrity culture... and is inspired by real life

Olivia watched Ashley Graham (left) and Bella Hadid collapse into a fit of flirty giggles because Anthony Joshua was in front of them on the red carpet. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris

Olivia Petter
© Evening Standard

Cocktails with Nile Rodgers. Backstage giggles with Susan Sarandon. Rails of free designer dresses. And attending London Fashion Week because an editor couldn’t be seen sitting in the second row. Within a week, I knew this was no ordinary job.

At 21, I’d just graduated from the University of Bristol with a degree in English when I landed the role of publicity assistant in the Condé Nast press office. I’d done a few PR internships as a student, including one lasting two months at a boutique fashion PR company that, in hindsight, felt like exploitation. Then there were several internships at newspapers and magazines in addition to a three-week placement at British Vogue where three interns famously shared two chairs – I’m still very good friends with one of those interns, almost a decade later.