Former X-Factor star Diana Vickers has revealed she sniffs one of Gwyneth Paltrows vagina candles when she prepares to play the Sliding Doors actress on stage.
Vickers, 33, stars as the Goop founder in a musical which charts the 51-year-olds remarkable court battle following a skiing accident in 2016.
Paltrow was sued by retired optometrist Terry Sanderson for $300,000 after the pair collided on the sloped in Utah, but the megastar countersued for $1 and the court ruled in her favour last year.
I Wish You Well already made its mark at the Edinburgh Fringe last month and is in the West End for the next few weeks at the Criterion Theatre.
And the rave reviews could be in part down to Vickers unique preparation for performances as the shows lead.
Former X-Factor star Diana Vickers has revealed she sniffs one of Gwyneth Paltrows vagina candles when she prepares to play the Sliding Doors actress on stage
Though Paltrow made her name on the silver screen, she remade herself as a wellness guru and business owner in a midlife career change. Her most eye-catching product for Goop was a scented candle titled, This Smells Like My Vagina and priced at $75
Paltrow (seen at the trial) was sued by retired optometrist Terry Sanderson for $300,000 after the pair collided on the sloped in Utah , but the megastar countersued for $1 and the court ruled in her favour last year
The 2008 X-Factor semi-finalist told The Standard: I have a vagina candle on the stage that sometimes Ill just sniff into and think "right!"
Before I go on every night Im behind these doors and I breathe and I say to myself "I am Gwyneth Paltrow. I am an icon."
Though Paltrow made her name on the silver screen in the 1990s and 2000s, she remade herself as a wellness guru and business owner in a midlife career change.
Her most eye-catching product for the Goop brand was a scented candle titled, This Smells Like My Vagina and priced at $75.
According to the products description: This candle started as a joke between perfumer Douglas Little and GP—the two were working on a fragrance, and she blurted out, "Uhhh..this smells like a vagina"—but evolved into a funny, gorgeous, sexy, and beautifully unexpected scent.
(That turned out to be perfect as a candle—we did a test run at an In goop Health, and it sold out within hours.)
Its a blend of geranium, citrusy bergamot, and cedar absolutes juxtaposed with Damask rose and ambrette seed that puts us in mind of fantasy, seduction, and a sophisticated warmth.
More usual preparation for Vickers to channel the star has included binging Paltrows back catalogue of movies and watching clips of the trial, which was streamed live in March 2023, on TikTok.
Vickers alongside I Wish You Well co-stars Idriss Kargbo as Judge Jude (left), Marc Antolin as Terry Sanderson (centre) and Tori Allen-Martin as his lawyer Kristin Van Orman (right)
The musical takes its name from the parting words Paltrow offered her courtroom adversary as the trial ended
Sanderson (pictured in court) described on the stand that Paltrow hit him in the back and sent him flying
The trial drew countless eyeballs and saw Paltrow initially sued for $3.1million by the father-of-three, before a judge reduced the sum to $300,000 in compensation for the injuries he sustained in the pairs crash.
Paltrow then filed a countersuit asking for a symbolic dollar and for her legal expenses to be covered.
Sandersons lawyers attempted to portray their client as someone who was lively and active before the accident, but significantly altered after.
He claimed that Paltrow struck him in the back with such force that he was left with permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement.
Sanderson told the court: I just remember everything was great and then I heard something Ive never heard at a ski resort, and that was a blood-curling scream.
And then, boom, it was like somebody was out of control and going to hit a tree and was going to die. Thats what I [remembered] until I was hit.
In his complaint, Sanderson argued that Paltrow got up, turned and skied away without summoning help, leaving him stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured.
Paltrow and her team said that their ski instructor was on the scene and assisted Sanderson.
Pictured: Animated reconstruction as the defense claimed Sanderson was actually the one who hit the actress from behind
Gwyneth Paltrow seen leaving court after her victory in March 2023
Paltrows team argued that Sandersons decline, though very sad, was not connected to the accident and pointed to prior medical issues.
I Wish You Well takes its name from the parting words Paltrow offered her courtroom adversary as the trial ended.
Over a year on, Paltrow is very curious about the trials depiction on stage, according to Vickers who says she shares a mutual friend with the Iron Man star.
If she wants to see it in Londons West End, Paltrow has until October 12 to book her seats.