'I always suffered from OCD but my new dog has cured me': Gok Wan on how a pet changed his life
His condition forced him to select around 20 outfits every Sunday for the week ahead and some days he changed clothes five times
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Peeling off a looped grey cashmere scarf and tightly fitting
blackroll neck, Gok Wan logs the details of his fifth outfit ofthe day
on his computer.He then takes out another ensemble from his colour co-ordinated wardrobe, ready for morning.
Tomorrow’s dark grey sheer-knit sweater and black skinny jeans have been selected to match his black Mercedes convertible – he wears mostly dark colours for this reason.
Such was the routine for 38-year-old Gok as he battled with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The condition forced him to select around 20 outfits every Sunday for the week ahead and some days he changed clothes five times.
Until a special lady came into his life – his French bulldog, Dolly Albertine Dishcloth.
Dolly is the unlikely saviour of the style guru, who believes she has helped cure his addiction to order by messing up his plush apartment.
“She’s changed my life,” he says, proudly. “I’ve learnt to relax.
"Dolly has really helped me – it’s amazing what she can do.
"Now there’s dog hair everywhere. I could never have done it years ago, it just wouldn’t have been an option.”
Previously, his disorder was not just a fashion fetish which saw him constantly changing outfits, it also prevented him letting friends visit him in his own home.
Leicester-born Gok says: “I suffered quite severely with it when I was younger.
"It was a labour of love, because even though I hated it, I sort of enjoyed being OCD.
“Hygiene was a massive problem. It was difficult to have people round because of causing mess, sitting on the sofa and stuff like that.
“I was also OCD with work. I’d find it hard to do a piece to camera and not get it right first time.
"I’d beat myself up if I went on a gameshow and I felt like I didn’t do a good job.
“I’ve got better, I have to say, thanks to Dolly.
"I’ve reduced my working hours during the day, and now I don’t feel like I’m letting anyone down if I don’t work as many hours as I possibly can.
“I’ve had to focus on the projects I’m doing. I try not to book ahead, whereas 18 months ago I was booked 18 months down the line.”
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As thanks, he treats his pooch to epic levels of pampering.He says: “She’s literally the most spoilt canine in the world.
"She’s got a doggy passport, a doggy wardrobe and more toys than I ever could imagine.
“Where I live, there is a dog boutique – every time I go for a walk I lose a few hundred quid.”
Born to English mother Myra, and Chinese father, chef John Tung Shing, Gok has previously credited an eagerness to provide for his parents as a driving force behind his ambitious nature.
The couple helped him through his struggle with obesity as a teenager, when Gok ballooned to 21 stone.
Dad John even joined him on food series Gok Cooks Chinese earlier this year.
And he often takes his parents to celebrity events, including the National Book Awards the evening prior to our chat.
“Can you hear my dad snoring in the background?” he giggles.
“Dolly’s snoring, too. It’s like a retirement home.”
Workaholic Gok releases an underwear line and a Specsavers range every year while producing four fashion collections for Sainsbury’s.
He also has a beauty range for Boots and continues to write books and host TV shows, with his most recent project adding dating advice to his CV.
At one point, he was doing 101 hours most weeks.
After the first two discectomy operations, Gok suffered an inflamed nerve canal in his spine, leading to a further seven procedures.
The recovery period gave him a chance to reflect on his plans for the future.
He admits: “I had a few realisations. One, I’m not going to be as agile any more and also I have to take things easier.
"My work addiction has to take a bit of a slide. I can’t do as much as I used to, which is hard because I love working.
“That was why I got Dolly – to come home to something, or someone, and not be so much about work. I had a tendency to say ‘yes’ to everything.”
He has also decided to focus on his next goal – becoming a dad – setting a time limit of seven years to find the right man with whom to start a family.
“I desperately want to be a dad,” he says. “I definitely would like to have children before I’m 45.
"It feels like a good age. For the last four years, I decided I wasn’t going to have children. But over the last 12 months, I’ve had time to think.
“It’s something I want to do, but I’m worried about my fathering skills, being in the right relationship, and could I do it in the world that I’m in? Would it be feasible?”
He adds: “Being gay and having children – I know it would make headlines and people would want to discuss it and have an opinion.
"But it’s something I want to do, it’s just how I’m going to go about it.”
He says: “What Elton and David did was incredible. It showed it was possible.
"It’s important same sex couples should absolutely have the same rights having children. An equal marriage bill needs to be passed.”
Coy Gok meanwhile, hints that Dolly is the closest thing he has to a partner: “I’ve got no room for a boy, I’ve got a woman in my life!”
Yet he dishes out dating advice in his new show.
In upcoming Channel 4 series, Gok’s Style Secrets, he becomes “wingman”, matchmaker and agony uncle for women in need of a dating overhaul.
But, he admits, he relies on his own friends to bag him a fella.
He says: “When it comes to me dating and flirting, I need my wingman.
"We all do it for our friends. If your friend likes someone in a bar you put in a good word.”
Unfortunately, Gok’s pals have a tough job of vetting his love interests.
“It’s hard when you’re famous – you have a different set of parameters,” he explains.
“Trust is a huge part. It’s a hectic world I live in. If I drag someone into it I want them to come into my world for me.”
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And the fashionista is tight lipped about his love life.He giggles: “It’s been a fun year! The moment I start discussing a person, it stops being so special. It’s just to make sure I keep that spice.
“I can never work it out when I’m in a relationship – let alone if I was trying to discuss it.”
However, he’s a lot better at dissecting other people’s love lives.
In the new series, he coaches women on dating etiquette as well as style.
Inevitably, he finds himself dishing out advice to his celeb pals, too.
He says: “It might be something as small as: ‘Shall I do up the button on my jacket?’ Jack Whitehall asked me that.
"It’s weird, because if you had an accountant friend you wouldn’t meet them for a drink and ask for accountancy advice.”
Not that Gok minds – he chuckles, admitting he relishes the opportunity to swoop in and take over.
He says: “I feel really arrogant saying this, but it’s not difficult to take control of someone else’s life.
“The one thing I’ve learnt is before you entertain the idea of dating, you’ve got to understand who you are and what you want.”
For the moment, though, it’s Dolly who seems closer to finding love – as Gok’s started taking her on “doggy dates”.
“She gets calls from her friends Buffy and Vera,” he chuckles.
“We all go out on dates so the dogs can let off steam. It’s cute!”
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