Bond put in a lot of groundwork to get the interview over the line.
Audacious Magazine’s spring cover girl Lauren Cowell. Photo / Nadya Mont
She says she became aware of Lauren about 13 years ago, when her relationship with Simon Cowell first hit the tabloids.
Lauren, who has been engaged to Simon for five years and now legally shares his last name, became pregnant with the couple’s son Eric while she was still married to her then-husband and the father of her first son. Intense media attention followed, and Lauren has this year been openly talking in various media interviews about the impact it had on her life.
Lauren Cowell. Photo / @Laurenmichellecowell
Lauren recently talked to podcaster Giovanna Fletcher about being shamed by the media and the public more than a decade ago.
After working on and forgiving herself, and making peace with the past, she told Fletcher she now feels she has paid her dues.
“Now whatever anyone’s thinking out there, too bad I don’t really care anymore,” she said.
Bond was struck by Lauren’s message of reinvention and not being defined by the past. She reached out on Instagram to request an interview for Audacious.
Within days, Bond spoke on the phone with Lauren for nearly an hour while the latter travelled through Britain’s Cotswolds, where she and Simon have an estate.
The pair bonded over the personal challenges they’ve faced and the work Lauren is doing in Britain raising awareness of protections for children online.
Ali Bond entered the publishing world last year.
Bond has four children, aged 11 to 21, and has been married three times. She co-founded Real Fires, a New Zealand fireplace company, spending 21 years as its general manager before placing it into voluntary liquidation around 2019. Not long after, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy and a double mastectomy.
“[Like Lauren], I myself have felt shame, [and been through] business failure, cancer and marriage breakdowns,” Bond says.
Bond is now often seen out and about in Auckland, raising awareness and funds for breast cancer through charity events and podcasting.
She says those experiences have led her into publishing, with Audacious launched a year ago. The quarterly, print-only magazine features in-depth stories about women from New Zealand and around the world.
During Bond’s phone call, a deal was struck with the promise of a cover shoot and the magazine paying for Lauren’s glam squad.
Lauren explained that she, Simon and Eric would be back from the Cotswolds and at their Malibu home in August, and asked if Bond wanted to do the interview there.
Lauren Cowell (left) welcomed Ali Bond to her Malibu estate last month. Photo / Nadya Mont
Bond then rushed to organise a travel special of Audacious, planning additional stories about Laguna Beach, Malibu and Beverly Hills, to justify the trip.
Bond and New Zealand photographer Nadya Mont stayed at luxury five-star hotel Malibu Beach Inn on Carbon Beach – better known as Billionaire’s Beach.
“It soon became apparent that the hotel attracts an exceptionally high-profile clientele and discretion is part of the experience,” Bond says.
“Professional photography was prohibited, while personal photographs needed to remain respectful and unobtrusive.”
Instead of at their hotel, the interview took place at the Cowells’ ultra-modern estate, perched on a private bluff above the Pacific Coast Highway.
“There were extraordinary vehicles in the courtyard, and open garaging, and the residence itself extended into several wings,” Bond says.
And although the home had “undeniable grandeur”, Bond says it was also beautifully lived in.
Bond and Mont were given free rein to explore the grounds for photo opportunities, while the family’s bedrooms stayed private. The property overlooks the Malibu coastline, with a dedicated outdoor area set up for the interview.
After promising to cover the costs of the hair and makeup “beauty squad”, Bond says the first quote was nearly $10,000 but she managed to negotiate that down by half. She says it was money well spent, as the team stayed all day.
“Lauren had her hair and makeup done in one area of the home, while I was being prepared in another,” Bond says.
She says Lauren spoiled her and the team with iced coffees, teas and generous platters of food.
Lauren’s sons, Adam and Eric, arrived home during Bond’s visit.
“Adam is a lovely young man, and Eric was just a friendly, ordinary 12-year-old. Being a mother of sons myself, I found them both incredibly natural, polite and easy to talk to.”
As for Simon, who spent most of the afternoon with his tailor before going out, Lauren asked Bond what she thought of him, not realising the pair had yet to meet.
“Lauren appeared genuinely disappointed that we hadn’t met him, which said so much about her. She simply wanted us to meet the man she loves.”
Bond did, however, meet the family’s pets: Simon’s Yorkshire terriers Diddly and Squiddly, and Lauren’s Alsatian, Pebbles.
During the interview, Lauren told Bond that giving up cigarettes and alcohol cold turkey two years ago, before a family holiday in the Bahamas, gave her the clarity to step out publicly and use her profile for good.
“My whole aura changed,” Lauren told Bond.
Ali Bond before her interview with Lauren Cowell. Photo / Nadya Mont
Lauren has since championed Britain’s Raise the Age campaign, calling for stronger accountability and protections for children online.
“It’s a similar campaign to our own B416 campaign, for a law change around social media access for teens,” Bond says.
“Lauren is also a driving force and an executive producer, alongside award-winning producer Jeff Pope, on a new drama for ITV about the impact of social media on children.”
At the end of the interview, Bond, who says she’d been distracted all day by Lauren’s “stunning and fairly substantial” engagement ring, asked about a wedding.
“Lauren said that of course they’ll get married, but there are no firm plans – when it happens, it will likely be spontaneous, intimate and very private.”
Party People of the week
Curated Collective celebrates its launch
Guests gathered at Casabella on Faraday St, Parnell, last Thursday to celebrate the official launch of Curated Collective, a boutique consultancy founded by Rhea Skinner Numan.
More than 100 guests from across Auckland’s business, fashion, hospitality and entertainment circles turned out to support her new venture..
Guests enjoyed watermelon martinis mixed and served by Fabz from The Cocktail Guy, alongside Moët & Chandon, premium VOSS water and a selection of canapés.
Among those in attendance were Hello directors Gilda Kirkpatrick and James Polhill, Glowbright founder Natalie Norman, Hartfield Jewellers owners Jodie and Luke Dick, Scarborough Group director Ulrik Olsen and his wife, Aisling, Live Nation partnerships manager Hunter Sutter, Cassia’s Chand Sahrawat, Gucci store manager David Long, fashion stylist Sarah Stuart, makeup artist Gui Baptista and award-winning Parnell hairstylist Sasha Lenski.
Michaiah Simmons, Rhea Skinner Numan and Amy Robertson. Photo / Anupam Singh
Gilda Kirkpatrick and Rhea Skinner Numan. Photo / Anupam Singh
Haylee O’Conner, Rhea Skinner Numan and Natalie Norman. Photo / Anupam Singh
Luke and Jodie Dick. Photo / Anupam Singh
Ulrik and Aisling Olsen. Photo / Anupam Singh
Chand Sahrawat, Rhea Skinner Numan and Zeenat Wilkinson. Photo / Anupam Singh
Sarah Stuart at Casabella. Photo / Anupam Singh
Gui Baptista, Lulu Wilcox and Michaiah Simmons. Photo / Anupam Singh
Gerrick Numan, Rhea Skinner Numan with her mother, Elizabeth Gounder. Photo / Anupam Singh
Elena and Sasha Lenski. Photo / Anupam Singh
Ricardo Simich has been with the Herald since 2008 where he contributed to The Business Insider. In 2012 he took over Spy at the Herald on Sunday, which has since evolved into Society Insider. The weekly column gives a glimpse into the worlds of the rich and famous.