The People

3rd June 1990

Page 3

After the heartbreak and fight against her weight she’s back, but…
Your image has blown out a bit Debbie (sorry, Deborah)
Picture: RANDOLPH CAUGHIE

(Photo captions)
ON THE ROAD – Overweight, over stressed and over here – the sad image Debbie, 45, presented in Glasgow this week.
IN THE STUDIO – Debbie as the fans knew her. The blonde bombshell who ruled the charts before her self-imposed exile
BIG TIME – Debbie’s losing the battle against her weight problem.

TIME has finally caught up with the blondest of blonde bombshells – Debbie Harry.

On stage in Britain this week it was painfully obvious that together with a new name – it’s now DEBORAH Harry – there was a new image. And it wasn’t one she could be proud of.

Years of heartbreak and a punishing series of concert dates meant that the famous finely-honed cheekbones were starting to pad out, the once luminous skin beginning to look tired and dull and the tumbling mane of golden hair had become dried out and strawlike.

Age – Debbie’s now 45 – and the time spent nursing her musician boyfriend Chris Stein through a terrifying illness have taken their toll.

In the past Debbie has defiantly fought back against a weight problem by rigorous gym training. But now it looks as if that battle has been lost.

“What’s the average 45-year-old meant to look like?” Debbie once asked defiantly. Sadly, the answer to that one is… take a look in the mirror.