One thing about Emma Grede: she has East End charm, and I’m not just saying that as a fellow East Londoner. She makes a point of saying hello to everyone. From the Claridge’s doormen, who she engages in proper conversation, to making sure she looks the waiting staff in the eye as she thanks them for her tea, to shouting out, “Hello babe, you alright?” as we stand outside one of London’s most prestigious hotels to take pictures. As a woman in the middle of a promo tour, while running multiple businesses, she is busy, but she has a way of making everyone feel like she has an endless amount of time for them.

East London, and specifically her, well, our area, Plaistow, E13, isn’t just her foundation, it is her moral compass. “Tell the truth. Be true to your word. You know, because where I was from, like, you couldn't mess people around. You couldn't say something and not come through on something. You couldn't take from someone and not pay for it.”