Cal Wilson: ‘I had terrible taste in men in my 20s. I was attracted to the bad boys’

Cal Wilson is best known for her stand-up comedy career. The 52-year-old opens up about her love of books, her terrible dating history and how she finally met her now-husband, Chris.

My maternal grandfather, Eric, was very present in my life. We would regularly holiday at his house in Oamaru, New Zealand, a 3½-hour drive from our home in Christchurch. There was always lemonade on the kitchen bench and strong peppermints in the dish by Pop’s chair.

Pop was always at the golf club with Nan [known as Pud]. He made a putting green on the back lawn – the grandchildren would putt around, except for me. I’d collect the balls and sit on them like a hen.

My dad, Graeme, was an engineer. He was a gregarious person and very handy. He built me a doll’s house for Christmas as a child, with furniture inside it. His dad was also a carpenter. Dad met Mum, Barbara, who worked as a primary school teacher, at a social event playing badminton.

Dad instilled in me a love of books. We used to play a 1920s game, Winkle’s Wedding. You had a story to read which had word blanks; that’s when I realised words could be funny and bring delight. The game helped me become quick-witted, and while I couldn’t beat my brothers physically in a fight as a kid, I developed a quick brain to get back at them.

I have two older brothers – Richard, who’s a civil engineer and Sean, a physiotherapist. There are three years between us all. It was all-out war until we were in our 20s; I was the annoying little sister who had crushes on all their friends. As an adult, I got to know them as people. I reconnected with Sean in France in 1992. We went on a bike ride together and it felt like the start of our adult friendship.

In an era when there was lots of sexism, Dad was a champion of the women who worked for him. He was raised by a strong mother.

CAL WILSON

I was never expected to be any less because I was a girl. Dad and Mum had the same expectations for me: that I’d get an education, go to uni and be what I wanted. In an era when there was lots of sexism, Dad was a champion of the women who worked for him. He was raised by a strong mother.

My first kiss was at three. My parents had friends over for dinner with their youngest son. I asked him if he wanted to kiss like they do on TV. We didn’t realise our older brothers were watching and mine tormented me for years about this.