Photography: Morgan Hill-Murphy
Fashion: Umar Sarwar and Olivia Lawrence
Hair: Jonny Albutt
Makeup: Olly Fisk
Fashion Assistant: Sarena Moss

“Hosting GAY TIMES Honours was one of the best days of my life, ever,” says Harriet Rose.  “I kept having to pinch myself. Doing what I love and hosting for the gay community, it meant so much to me that I was chosen. It was mind-blowing.” Last year, the KISS FM Breakfast Show alum and presenter celebrated queer culture and community as the host of our fifth annual ceremony, alongside drag entertainer, comedian and author Tom Rasmussen; leading the evening through inspirational speeches and show-stopping performances from stars such as Baby Queen, Raye, Poppy Ajudha, and Rina Sawayama. Honours was a “monumental” moment for Harriet and her career, she admits, because she never thought she would be able to be “out-and-proud” in her industry “or even talk about” her sexuality so openly. “I never imagined I could be on the radio with two straight men, and they would be bantering with me about being single and not being able to get a girlfriend,” continues Harriet. “I’m able to talk about being a lesbian when we have four-and-a-half million listeners. I’m so happy and proud of my journey.” 

As well as KISS FM, Harriet has interviewed a plethora of stars at the BRIT Awards, MTV EMA’s and hosted MTV Push Live events, BUILD Series LDN and Heat’s Under the Duvet, Love Island’s official spin-off show. She’s received acclaim for her quintessentially British and nonchalant approach to interviews with talent such as Sam Smith, Dua Lipa, Little Mix, Lil Nas X, Lizzo and [insert any A-List name here, she’s interviewed them all]. More recently, she had a beautiful and profound conversation with the latter about… “wieners and weird noises”. “People always ask if I’m a journalist, I say no. I couldn’t be further from a journalist,” she says. “I’m never looking for a story. In fact, I’m actively looking for something that isn’t a story that might become a story. […] I want them to walk away and go, ‘I would do that again.’ That’s what creates a good interview.” 

In this interview, Harriet discusses her illustrious career so far, why she’s “never had a plan B” and her “goal” to “talk about queerness in every scenario possible”. At the wheel of an Audi in this special digital cover shoot, Harriet Rose is on the high road to fulfilling her dreams as an EGOT winner (that last bit will make sense later).

All clothing: Chopova Lowena