James Norton opens up about health emergency during Nicole Kidman speech
The 'Happy Valley' actor recalls how backstage chaos erupted after a diabetes scare left him urgently needing food
James Norton has revealed he nearly fainted during a glamorous GQ awards dinner after a miscalculation with his insulin left him in urgent need of food, triggering backstage chaos.
The Happy Valley star shared the story during an appearance on the Table Manners podcast, explaining that the incident occurred at a 2024 GQ event where he was seated at the top table alongside Jude Law and Nicole Kidman.
Norton, who has lived with Type 1 diabetes since being diagnosed at 22, said he took his insulin before dinner, expecting the starter to include carbohydrates.
Instead, he was served smoked trout without any carbs.
“I put my insulin in, thinking that we were going to have some bread with the starter,” he recalled. “The starter arrived, and it was this little bit of smoked trout with no carbs.”
As speeches began, Norton realised his blood sugar was rapidly dropping.
“I’ve got 10 minutes before I start to faint,” he said, adding that he began sweating and feeling unsteady but did not want to interrupt the ceremony.
The actor quietly alerted a member of staff, who immediately brought him a chocolate bar and some juice.
Unbeknownst to Norton, his request sparked what he described as “pandemonium” behind the scenes.
During Nicole Kidman's speech, a staff member suddenly arrived with a steaming plate of potatoes to help stabilize his blood sugar.
“It basically looked like, ‘James is hungry. Give him some potatoes,’” he joked.
Norton has often spoken publicly about managing Type 1 diabetes while working on film and stage productions.
He previously revealed he stitched hidden pockets into period costumes to carry sugar tablets and recalled another on-stage incident in which fellow actors mistakenly thought he was suffering a diabetic emergency after adrenaline caused him to shake and sweat during a performance.
The actor said experiences like these have taught him the importance of carefully monitoring his blood sugar while balancing the demands of his career.