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Paloma Faith delivers epic performance of ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ at the Attitude Awards

Britain’s cheekiest pop star was also named Honorary Gay at the virtual ceremony.

By Thomas Stichbury

Paloma Faith stole the show at the 2020 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar, when she performed her signature hit ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ – if this song isn’t at the, erm, top of your bottoming playlist, it damn well should be (alongside Normani’s ‘Motivation’).

Dazzling in a dramatic polka-dot dress – which we’re totally dotty about – the chart-topping pop star belted out the gut-punching ballad from her 2014 album A Perfect Contradiction at London’s Roundhouse last month (December).

Of course, it wasn’t the only high note that Paloma hit during the night, as she also earned her rainbow stripes to be named our Honorary Gay.

During her cover story in the Attitude Awards December issue, the 39-year-old singer – pregnant with her second child at the time of her photo shoot and performance – opened up about motherhood and her views on gender identity when it comes to raising her family, after attracting the ire of the right-wing media.

“The gender roles are so regimented and ridiculous; I’ve raised my [first] child to be open and used to acceptance,” she explained.

“Everyone came down hard on me for bringing my child up gender neutral. People called me a child abuser and [said] that my child would be damaged. The motivation behind it was I wanted to keep my child out of the public eye for her own sanity. But there was so much homophobia and transphobia, I started to say, ‘Yes, I am raising her gender neutral, you bloody arseholes!’”

The Attitude 101 February issue is out now to download and to order globally.

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