Mary Portas: the queen of the high street’s inspiring journey from homeless orphan to a London townhouse that’s all hers

Most of us know Mary Portas as a swashbuckling TV presenter with a flame-red bob, but her career away from the screen has been no less remarkable. She did the window displays for Topshop during its heyday and was the creative director of Harvey Nichols when it was immortalised on Absolutely Fabulous. Nowadays, however, she runs her consultancy, Portas, which helps brands create purpose and beauty in everything they do. As this episode reveals, her life story is incredibly rich and filled with both trauma and triumph. This episode was recorded in person at the Portas offices, London.For more: Head over to our website for more images of the places discussedVisit Portas Sign up to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration Check out Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live This episode is sponsored by Vitsoe.Executive Producer: Kate Taylor of Feast CollectiveProduction: Hannah PhillipsMusic: FatherGraphic Design: Tom Young Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.