| A Tribute To Francesca Gregorini |
Biography  RINGO, MY GIRLFRIEND AND MARRIAGE
from The Mail on Sunday, July 2002
During Francesca Gregorini's childhood, drugs took
over the lives of her stepfather Ringo Starr and her
mother, Bond film star Barbara Bach. Throughout her
twenties, she battled her own drug demons. Now, aged
33, she has fallen in love - with Portia de Rossi, star of
the top-rating Channel 4 series Ally McBeal.
We meet at The Ivy, a Hollywood landmark, where I
spot actor Morgan Freeman, Top Gun producer Jerry
Bruckheimer and several studio moguls. Gregorini,
unfazed by the wall-to-wall celebrities, is dressed in
rock-chick mode - camouflage-print trousers, a yellow
T-shirt bearing the logo 'Winona: Don't do Dru drugs
wears a platinum band encrusted with diamonds. A few
days before our meeting, an American newspaper
announced that Gregorini and De Rossi, 29, who plays
ice- cool lawyer Nell Porter in the legal drama, have
'married' in a special ceremony. Is this true? She grins.
'I am very honest and I will talk about anything, but not
about Portia. I have to respect her privacy. It's not fair on
her.' But are they married? 'No, absolutely not. The ring
is from Chanel.' Have you met someone you want to
spend the rest of your life with? She throws back her
mane of pre-Raphaelite curls. 'I am an open person.
But out of respect for Portia, I don't want to get into it.
I've had boyfriends before, I was a late bloomer
sexually. 'I was a tomboy until I was 18. It didn't occur to
me to be interested in sex until I went to university -
then it was all anyone was interested in. I had
boyfriends but I never understood the whole hoopla
about sex. I could take it or leave it. Then, when I
discovered girls, it was like "Aha, now I get it!" I was 19
years old. I knew I was a lesbian.'I told my mum I
thought I might be a lesbian and she talked to Rich [her
family's name for Starr] and he said: "She's definitely
not a lesbian." Rich had met lesbians when he was
touring with The Beatles.'I remember Mum came back
to me and said: "Oh, don't worry, Rich says you are not
a lesbian. Everything is fine." Finally, when I gave them
evidence that I really was a lesbian, they were very
supportive and cool. Considering what some lesbians
go through, I had it easy.'
I ask her about intimate photographs showing her and
De Rossi kissing. It was the first public indication that
Australian-born De Rossi - who was once romantically
linked to Hugh Grant, her costar in Sirens - was gay.
'We didn't know they were being taken. They are what
they are. The trouble with newspapers is that they tell
the truth, whether you like it or not. I am not going to talk
about it.'But she will admit to being 'blissfully' happy. 'I
thought being happy would affect my songwriting. I
always thought I had to write from a point of angst, but I
am truly happy and my writing hasn't been affected.'
Gregorini, a singer/songwriter, is preparing to launch
her career with a 'showcase' of her songs next month at
Johnny Depp's club, The Viper Room, in LA. She has
also contributed two songs to the soundtrack of the
minor film See Jane Run, in which she also had a small
acting role.
She was born in Rome. Her mother, who starred in The
Spy Who Loved Me, met her father, millionaire Italian
industrialist Augusto Gregorini, on a plane.'My mum
was living in New York and was going to Italy for a
modelling job. He says she paraded back and forth in
front of him at the airport and they happened to sit
together and that was it. I was born about a year later. I
lived in Italy until I was eight. We lived in Rome in this
huge four-storey converted church. It was really cool.'
Gregorini was soon joined by a brother, Gianni, now
29, who works with their father. When she was eight,
her parents divorced and Bach took the children to
America. Gregorini says: 'It was awful. I was this all-
Italian child and I hardly spoke English. I felt as if I'd
landed on another planet. I'd left a gorgeous school
and ended up in a public school in Los Angeles.'I was
getting into fistfights and being bullied. It was a
nightmare. That's when my shyness kicked in. I started
to feel isolated and alone.'Mum met Rich on the set of a
film called Caveman, which is a cult classic because it's
so bad. As a stepdad he was good for my brother and
me because he was the exact opposite of our dad. My
dad is a real pushover - anything you want goes. Rich
is very different. It's the Italian versus the Brit - and a
northern Brit at that. Rich is quite staid. He introduced
us to a whole other world, both good and bad.'
Gregorini is seeringly honest about the first ten years of
Starr and Bach's marriage - a decade of drugs and
drink - which left the troubled teenager feeling isolated
and abandoned. Much of this time was spent in Britain
on 80 acres of land near Ascot which, she says, gave
her 'a lifelong love of the English countryside'.'When I
was living with them, it was their drugs heyday. I had
other friends who were rocks stars and their houses
were used for parties morning, noon and night. With
Rich and Mum it was different. They were very much in
love and they wanted nothing to do with anybody
else.'When Mum met Rich, I lost her in a way. She was
in love but, more than that, they got wrapped up in the
whole drugs thing. But their troubles made me a better
academic. I studied all the time. I was always hidden
away in a room reading because Mum and Dad were
out of it. I think Mum and Rich made an effort to be
awake when we got home. I'd go off to school in the
morning with my brother and they were never around.
They were always still sleeping. When we got home at
night, Mum and Rich would get out of bed and have
dinner or whatever.'They would sit on the couch and
watch television and I would say to them: "Why are you
doing that now? You can watch television when you're
70." They were so in love that they were happy to stay
at home, drink, do drugs and just hide away.' Luckily,
her mother and stepfather went into rehab in
1988.'They were very open about it and did it together. I
think that's a big reason they are still together - they
went through it together and they beat it together. They
are amazing people now, so healthy. We have rebuilt a
lot of the relationship that was missing when I was a
child.
'Seeing the drugs up close had the opposite effect on
me: I rebelled against them at first. The house had a
recording studio and that was my refuge. That's the first
time I got into music; I would write.' Did her stepfather
encourage her? 'Please! He gave me one drum lesson.
Apart from that, I was on my own. Which was fine. That
was just his way. I love Rich because he's a good
bloke. He's good to Mum and they are a good team.
Rich loves TV - EastEnders, Coronation Street,
everything.' I tell her that the idea of Ringo Starr sitting
watching Coronation Street is funny. 'He loves it. My
whole childhood was spent watching that show and
EastEnders.' But he's a Beatle... 'Yeah, but this Beatle
loves EastEnders.' The recent death of George
Harrison hit the family hard. 'Rich was so sad when
George died. They had a deep connection, a soul
connection,' she says. 'People think The Beatles were
chummy all the time but that's not entirely the case. I
knew George as "the gardener". He loved his garden
and when we'd visit his house, that was what he
showed us. He was so proud of it.' She asks me not to
reveal where Starr and Bach now live 'because of what
happened with George when he was attacked'. She is
protective of her stepfather and he, in return, is
supportive of her and her relationship, and was a guest
at De Rossi's recent birthday party.Gregorini laughs. 'I
wish Mum and Rich had been more shocked when I
told them about my sexuality. I was like "This is who I
am" and they were totally relaxed and said "Yeah,
whatever", and then life went on exactly as it had
before.' Gregorini finally conquered her loneliness after
going to America to attend Brown University, a
prestigious college on Rhode Island, to study film: 'It
was so strange leaving England and going to America.
Again, it was music which held me together. I played in
various bands, and I enjoyed it. I had a release for my
frustrations.'At Brown, I had my fair share of drugs and
alcohol. I experimented. But there was always
something in my brain which containedit. When I came
to LA, I carried on doing drugs. I lost a lot of my twenties
to drugs in the same way Rich and Mum lost years. I
had my share of fun, but I am glad I did it in my twenties.
'I haven't led the most conventional of lives. For a long
time I was your typical messed-up child of a celebrity,
two celebrities, actually. But I've made it through and
this is the happiest and most stable I have been in my
life. Making music has really helped me get to this
place. I just want to make the most of it and enjoy it.' For
the aspiring singer her first 'proper' interview turns out
to be less of an ordeal than she feared: 'I guess I am
used to being in the spotlight.' This is her first interview,
says Gregorini, 'because before I really had nothing
much to talk about except what the famous people
around me were doing. I never felt I wanted to speak
publicly about my life. I always did a good job of
ducking out of the spotlight.'Now I have something to
say and I believe the best way of doing things is to be
totally honest about my sexuality and the problems I've
had in my past.
I believe people accept things as long as you are
honest.' Isn't it ironic that she has high-profile parents
and now a high-profile lesbian lover? 'I have never
known life without one of my parents, or both, being in
the public eye. That is just who I am.' While Gregorini
protests that she is not into celebrity, she admits that
her best friends are the children of stars - Ione Skye
and Donovan Leitch, the children of Sixties singer
Donovan, and Amy Fleetwood, daughter of Mick. 'I am
not trying to pass the buck, but when you have famous
parents you are up against a lot. It makes you stand out
at school, people treat you differently. As much success
as I have, I will never be a Beatle. That is something I
just deal with.'I've dabbled in therapy but in the end,
music works for me. I can't say that I've managed to
come out of my childhood damage-free and I think
that's why it's taken me until now to work through
things.' Gregorini - who has an apartment in New York
and a home in the Hollywood Hills - is house-hunting
with De Rossi. She says: 'I'm ready to be a homebody.
For years I didn't know what I wanted. It's taken me until
now to work that out. Now I am ready for a career but
also to be a parent. I feel confident in my own skin and
I'm ready to be me.'
Francesca Gregorini Rocks Homepage |
Francesca's music  Do you long for the bygone days of genuine indie chick
rock, when female artists recorded track-for-track
responses to the Rolling Stones instead of track-for-
track knockoffs of prepubescent mall-rat divas?
Enter Francesca Gregorini, a singer-songwriter who
owes more to PJ Harvey, Mazzy Star, and Garbage
than Avril Lavigne. Don't let the fact that she was born
Countess Francesca McKnight Donatella Romana
Gregorini di Savingniano di Romagnia fool you. Her
musical pedigree is not to be reckoned with: She's
Ringo Starr's stepdaughter. Her new album, Sequel,
features solid songs delivered in a raw, sexy vocal
style. We like the kick-ass collaboration with Moby on
track 11.
No over-produced tracks. No irritating faux female-
empowerment messages. Just a girl who rocks, in the
true sense of the word.
Sequel
FRANCESCA GREGORINI
The intriguing voice of Francesca Gregorini is certainly
worth a listen. It ranges from haunting to playful,
ethereal to very much here and now. Unfortunately she
hasn't quite decided what she wants to do musically.
Certain songs pulsate with hard rock edge, and her
voice doesn't quite manage to match up with the fury.
Listen to chorus of "Stupid One" as an example. In other
cuts she's vocalizing over electronic tracks which come
across as more latest dance cut than power pop single.
Her voice is too interesting and unique for such
formulaic fodder.
That's not to say there aren't some bang up moments
on the CD. The first cut, My Flight, has a great twangy
guitar sound mixed with careful electronic elements
which work together seamlessly. Her vocals are strong
and clear...adding to the almost haunting quality of the
track. The track is reminiscent of Garbage at it's
reflective best. Actually it reminds me even more of
Shirley Manson's pre-garbage band, Angelfish.
"Don't Need Anybody" embodies the best of PJ Harvey
stylings. The vocals are real...sometimes her voice
breaks, but it fits the song and the sonic nature of the
music. The song begins simply, almost delicately and
rises, rushing to a crashing chorus.
She collaborates with Moby to wonderful effect on the
final track, "Sugar Sex", a starkly arranged intro swells
alluringly into strong vocals showcased by piano and
synthetic flutes.
Listen to and buy Franscesca's music |
Francesca and Portia  It's not really anyone's business but their own.
this is some of the gossip anyway.
Aftonbladet (Swedish newspaper), Oct 30th, 2001:
"The Ally McBeal star - now she's no longer afraid to be
seen with her girlfriend"
The 28 year old actress Portia de Rossi reveals her
sexual preference just as the new season of Ally
McBeal is about to begin. She and her girlfriend was
this weekend caught by celebrity photographers when
they left a West Hollywood restaurant. They were not at
all distracted by them, quite the opposite really. They
openly showed their love for each other - holding
hands as they took their dogs for a walk through
Beverly Hills.
Rumours regarding Portia de Rossi's sexual preference
have long been circulating in Hollywood. When
Aftonbladet last year interviewed Hugh Grant, when
'Bridget Jone's Diary' had premiered, an English
newspaper had speculated that he and Portia (whom
are close friends) maybe was romantically linked.
Hugh's reply when asked about it:
"You DO understand how funny that rumour is?"
Star Magazine, February 2002:
"Ally McBeal beauty and gay galpal tying the knot"
Ally McBeal star Portia de Rossi is sporting a wedding
band on her ring finger these days – and that has sent
Tinseltown tongues into a tizzy.
Is Portia in a committed relationship with the
stepdaughter of Beatle Ringo Starr? Or is she in a
lesbian lifetime partnership? Portia's people swear up
and down she's not, and that a recent birthday party at
the $750,000 penthouse that Portia shares with lover
Francesca Gregorini was nothing more than the
celebration of Portia's 29th.
But sources who were at the party told me they
witnessed Portia and Francesca, 33, a fledgling singer-
songwriter, swear that they'll take care of each other for
life. And they sealed it with an exchange of rings. Hers
(Portia's) was a big 1 1/2 -carat rock, and hers
(Francesca's) was described as a white-gold band
encrusted with small diamonds. Then witnesses saw
the woman who plays Ally McBeal's ice-cold colleague,
nicknamed Subzero Nell, melt right before their eyes.
"Portia looked really happy," an eyewitness, her voice
choking with emotion, said. "Her eyes were getting all
teary. She's head over heels in love with Francesca.
They said really cute things to each other."
The relationship became public last November when
Star published pictures of Portia and Francesca, the
daughter of former James Bond girl Barbara Bach and
the stepdaughter of Beatle Ringo Starr, groping one
another on a West Hollywood back alley.
The ceremony, which has no legal standing in
California since lesbian marriages are not officially
recognized, went well into the night. But the two were
spotted early the next morning sipping coffee at a local
diner, giggling like high-schoolers.
"This one will last forever," one witness said.
'World Entertainment News', April 12th, 2002:
Francesca describes her new life with Portia as
"Blissfully happy".
Internet Movie Database, July 15th, 2002:
"Portia Moves in with Her Lover"
Former Ally McBeal star Portia de Rossi and her lover
Francesca Gregorini have taken their romance to a new
level - by buying a house together. The actress and
Ringo Starr's musician stepdaughter have bought a
home in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, for just over $2 million.
The five-bedroom Spanish villa-style home was once
owned by silent movie star Raymond Griffith.
The National Enquirer, July 19th, 2002:
"Portia de Rossi's Public Make Out Session"
"Ally McBeal" star Portia de Rossi, who had heads
turning at an LA eatery as she kissed and cuddled her
girlfriend, finally looked up, saw the disapproving stares
and snapped: "God, have people never seen lesbians
making OUT before?" And then she went back for
seconds! |
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