I really like Kelly Osbourne. Despite her famous parents and very rock 'n' roll lifestyle ever since she was a baby, she comes across as someone who is totally down-to-earth, straight-talking and surprisingly modest. She's also sensitive, vulnerable and willing to admit that she has as many defects and hang-ups as the rest of us. Above all, she is incredibly funny and honest. All of these reasons meant that I was really looking forward to reading her autobiography, Fierce.
At some point, most people must have seen Kelly Osbourne coming of age very publicly in the then groundbreaking MTV reality show, The Osbournes. Whether you were a huge Ozzy fan or, like me, someone who just a vague idea that he was in a heavy metal band, it was absolutely hilarious and compulsive viewing. You could tell it wasn't scripted or put on for the cameras, this really was just "normal" life (I use the term loosely !) as it happened. Everybody got to see all of the Osbourne family, warts and all, and you got the feeling that you knew them and their wacky lifestyle inside out. As Kelly's frank, no-holds-barred book shows, there was also a whole much darker side to her life that the cameras didn't see.
She documents her struggles with addiction, living with a drink and drug dependent parent, growing up in the limelight, dealing with the stupid "fat" labels the media love to pin on just about anyone famous, watching her mum's battle against cancer and her dad's serious quad accident ... We've all seen the headlines but Kelly shows what it was really like to live through and her simple, honest way of baring her soul is not only endearing and poignant - you just want to give her a big hug !
But unlike many celebs who write their biographies just because they want to dish the dirt, name-drop or make a fast buck, Kelly actually does this to help people. By telling her tale, she hopes to help others in a similar situation or hopefully warn them off making the same mistakes she's made. She's never patronising though - it's exactly like listening to your big sister or best friend having a girly chat.
There were a few things I didn't like about the book - the frequent pages throughout the book featuring one big quote seemed pointless as the quotes were all cropping up in the text anyway so they were just a waste of space. Also the pages for taking notes at the end of the book seemed a bit over-the-top. This is a really good read but it's not a reference book ! But that was just the way the publishers decided to package it and takes nothing away from Kelly's fascinating, brutally honest and entertaining account of the darker side of her life that the cameras didn't see.
I really feel like I should go off to amazon now and buy Ozzy, Sharon and Jack's autobiographies too to complete the set get even more insight into the wacky world of The Osbournes !
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP: £7.99
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Virgin Books (1 July 2010)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0753519364
ISBN-13: 978-0753519363
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