Alison Boshoff
Daily Mail
Navigating the most demanding of briefs with an intelligence and experience that sets her apart from many rivals, Alison not only delivers exclusive new lines time and again but writes with a depth and understanding that takes readers far beyond the headlines.
Take her investigation into the death of Friends star Matthew Perry. With impeccable sources, Alison could reveal the tragic build-up to his death, drawing out new details of Perry’s decline with first-hand accounts from those closest to him. Never sensationalist, Alison’s skill lies in her ability to weave exclusive material into a wider, more considered, examination of a celebrity’s life. No matter how scandalous the story, Alison never loses sight of the humanity at its core.
Her explosive behind the scenes account of P Diddy’s drug-fuelled parties was both eye-opening in the level of debauchery it revealed but also sobering against the blizzard of allegations of exploitation and abuse facing the star. The devastating new detail in Alison’s article – drugs and sex with young prostitutes openly on offer to Hollywood’s elite - gave readers a truly gripping insight into a world they never see whilst Alison also pondered how Sean Coombs, a former altar boy and devout Catholic, could have fallen so far.
Not content with filing several upfront spreads a week, Alison’s Friday column remains the go-to showbiz bible. This one, from the Venice Film Festival, perfectly encapsulates her range and agility. Her lead on Adele turning down $200m to spend more time with her family again serves to demonstrate her copper-bottomed sources, while her lively and good-humoured shorts, filed from the red carpet, provide readers with a delicious glimpse into the glamorous world of A-listers.
Throughout it all, Alison treads the virtually impossible line of delivering world exclusives everyone wants to read while maintaining the respect of the very people she’s writing about. Alison is simply one of a kind.