FIRST IMPRESSIONS: GLORIA ESTEFAN
What are you working on at the moment?
A Broadway show. It’s autobiographical and hopefully we will have finished writing it by January. I’m working with Alex Dinelaris who wrote The Bodyguard, the London show.
When were you at your happiest?
Getting back on stage in March 1991 after I had broken my back. I worked six or seven hours a day in rehab to get to that point because I wanted people to see that we have amazing powers to heal and that their prayers had been very powerful. I did one of the most physical shows I’ve ever done.
What is your greatest fear?
To be fearful again. It is a very powerful emotion and I have already faced some of my greatest fears. My dad was in a wheelchair and when I broke my back, I was like, ‘Oh no, here it is. The thing I had been most dreading.’ I don’t focus on fear at all now. I focus on love and the way I want things to happen.
What is your earliest memory?
My mum dragging me to every church in Miami to pray for my dad, who was a prisoner after the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. I remember being very worried about her and both of us knew he was in jail but my mum kept telling me he was on a farm. I thought she believed that so I didn’t say anything.
Who has been your greatest influence?
My grandmother, she was a woman ahead of her time. She was born in 1905 and wanted to be a lawyer – imagine that. She was pulled out of school to work because she was the second oldest of 12. Later she taught herself to read and was a canny businesswoman and a wonderful chef. I grew up in the kitchen with her and went into the restaurant business really because I wanted to fulfil her dream of promoting our culture.
What do you dislike about yourself?
I love myself but I care too much sometimes, especially in this business, about what people might think.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Dishonesty.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I don’t dislike it but I wish I were taller because I lost two inches in my accident. I would like those two inches back, please.
What is your most treasured possession?
A jersey my father wore on the Cuban volleyball team, his medal and his Olympic certificate.
And your favourite book?
Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr Brian Weiss. A lot of things came from that book and it was life-changing in a way.
Your favourite film?
The Wizard Of Oz.
Your favourite piece of music?
Impossible: it’s like asking, out of all your children, who your favourite is.
What is your favourite meal?
Chicken fricassee with rice, sweet fried plantains and avocado salad.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Winston Churchill, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Mother Teresa, Jesus, Buddha and my grandma.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
It was a couple of days ago on Twitter and I was talking about Cuba. A guy wrote ‘traitor’.
What is your secret vice?
A massage. There was only one I didn’t like – called Rolfing – where they tried to stick their fingers up my nose.
Do you write thank-you notes?
I do, although I write emails and texts now.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
Even.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A vacation.
What is the one thing people don’t know about you?
I know my way around a vessel and I love boating. I have a sea captain’s licence.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘Remember me with love.’
Gloria Estefan’s new album, The Standards, is available now.
A Broadway show. It’s autobiographical and hopefully we will have finished writing it by January. I’m working with Alex Dinelaris who wrote The Bodyguard, the London show.
When were you at your happiest?
Getting back on stage in March 1991 after I had broken my back. I worked six or seven hours a day in rehab to get to that point because I wanted people to see that we have amazing powers to heal and that their prayers had been very powerful. I did one of the most physical shows I’ve ever done.
What is your greatest fear?
To be fearful again. It is a very powerful emotion and I have already faced some of my greatest fears. My dad was in a wheelchair and when I broke my back, I was like, ‘Oh no, here it is. The thing I had been most dreading.’ I don’t focus on fear at all now. I focus on love and the way I want things to happen.
What is your earliest memory?
My mum dragging me to every church in Miami to pray for my dad, who was a prisoner after the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. I remember being very worried about her and both of us knew he was in jail but my mum kept telling me he was on a farm. I thought she believed that so I didn’t say anything.
Who has been your greatest influence?
My grandmother, she was a woman ahead of her time. She was born in 1905 and wanted to be a lawyer – imagine that. She was pulled out of school to work because she was the second oldest of 12. Later she taught herself to read and was a canny businesswoman and a wonderful chef. I grew up in the kitchen with her and went into the restaurant business really because I wanted to fulfil her dream of promoting our culture.
What do you dislike about yourself?
I love myself but I care too much sometimes, especially in this business, about what people might think.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Dishonesty.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I don’t dislike it but I wish I were taller because I lost two inches in my accident. I would like those two inches back, please.
What is your most treasured possession?
A jersey my father wore on the Cuban volleyball team, his medal and his Olympic certificate.
And your favourite book?
Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr Brian Weiss. A lot of things came from that book and it was life-changing in a way.
Your favourite film?
The Wizard Of Oz.
Your favourite piece of music?
Impossible: it’s like asking, out of all your children, who your favourite is.
What is your favourite meal?
Chicken fricassee with rice, sweet fried plantains and avocado salad.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Winston Churchill, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Mother Teresa, Jesus, Buddha and my grandma.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
It was a couple of days ago on Twitter and I was talking about Cuba. A guy wrote ‘traitor’.
What is your secret vice?
A massage. There was only one I didn’t like – called Rolfing – where they tried to stick their fingers up my nose.
Do you write thank-you notes?
I do, although I write emails and texts now.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
Even.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A vacation.
What is the one thing people don’t know about you?
I know my way around a vessel and I love boating. I have a sea captain’s licence.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘Remember me with love.’
Gloria Estefan’s new album, The Standards, is available now.