Its with great sadness and a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of our friend and colleague Chris Hemblade who died last week.
Chris worked at Time Out, Sky Magazine and Marie Claire before becoming Executive Editor/Entertainment Director at ELLE from 2005 to 2008.
He went on to work for Macmillan Cancer Support as VIP + celebrity executive and as senior contributing editor at Harper's Bazaar.
As well as booking some of ELLE's biggest celebrity covers - Kate Hudson, Jennifer Aniston, Alexa Chung (a UK first) - Chris masterminded some of the most innovative and exciting projects in our 27-year history.
Working with editor in chief Lorraine Candy, Chris secured a world exclusive when Karl Lagerfeld guest edited the April 2006 issue and not content with scoring just one of the worlds biggest designers, Chris did it again for the October issue later that year when Donatella Versace was brought on board to guest edit.
Chris was a true professional, handling demanding Hollywood publicists with charm and diplomacy.
He was devoted to the job he loved (often sleeping with his Blackberry under his pillow) and was a mentor and an inspiration to those who were lucky enough to work with him.
Professional achievements aside, Chris was a joy to be around.
He was full of fun and mischief and whether you were in a features meeting or the pub, he could make you laugh until you cried.
He had recently married his partner Duncan who he had been with for 14 years.
Lorraine Candy, who knew Chris for over 20 years after first meeting him at Marie Claire, said -
Chris was one of life's big personalities. An incredibly intelligent, well read and absolutely addictive character. His fabulous laugh and entertaining manner meant he was liked by everyone he met. We will miss him so much.
Chris Hemblade: 1970-2013
