The Happy Valley star has recalled nearly fainting at a celebrity-packed awards dinner after taking insulin before discovering there were no carbohydrates in his starter, prompting an urgent backstage response.
James Norton has revealed he almost fainted during a high-profile GQ dinner after a miscalculation with his insulin left him desperately needing food.
Prompting what he described as “pandemonium” behind the scenes before a plate of potatoes was delivered to him in the middle of Nicole Kidman’s speech, the actor, 41, shared the story as he spoke about living with Type 1 diabetes during an appearance on the Table Manners podcast with Jessie Ware and Lennie Ware.
The actor, best known for roles in Happy Valley, Grantchester, McMafia and War and Peace, said the incident happened at a GQ event in 2024 while he was seated at the top table alongside Jude Law and Nicole Kidman.
Recalling the dinner, James said: “I was at a GQ event once and I put my insulin in, thinking that we were going to have some bread with the starter.
“The starter arrived, and it was this little bit of smoked trout with no carbs. I was on the high table and they were honoring Jude Law and Nicole Kidman and all these people, and there were speeches after the starter.
“So I was sitting there, having done my insulin, having eaten this trout, going, ‘I’ve got 10 minutes before I start to faint, basically’, and I couldn’t interrupt the speeches because I was sitting on the high table.
“I eventually started sweating, and like you know, you get really wobbly. You eventually will faint.”
James explained that he quietly approached a member of staff and asked for food immediately.
“So I walked over to the back to the lady that was standing behind my table, saying, ‘I’m a diabetic. I need some food quickly’. So she gave me a chocolate bar and some juice, and I thought I was okay. Went back, sat back down.
“What I didn’t realise was that pandemonium had broken out backstage, and they were like, ‘James Norton’s about to have a hypo!’ So in the middle of Nicole Kidman’s speech, someone randomly brings me a steaming plate of potatoes.
“It basically looked like ‘This is bulls***. James is hungry. Give him some potatoes’.”
James, who has also been in the spotlight in recent months following the success of Netflix mystery series The Housemaid and continued speculation over future film and television projects, has long spoken openly about managing Type 1 diabetes after being diagnosed at 22.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the body is unable to produce enough insulin to regulate blood glucose levels.
People living with the condition require lifelong insulin treatment and careful monitoring of blood sugar.
James has previously spoken about how he has sewn hidden pockets into period costumes to carry sugar tablets while performing on stage.
Speaking in 2017, James said: “It’s interesting being on stage or on set because your body is full of adrenaline and that screws up your sugar.
“Especially when I’m on stage for a full hour and a half. I have to anticipate it at the beginning of the show and make sure my sugar levels are going up or are at least stable.
“In period plays, I’ve had to stitch little pockets in my costume for sugar tablets.”
James also recalled an incident while appearing in the First World War play Journey’s End in 2011, when fellow cast members believed he was experiencing diabetic shock after adrenaline caused him to shake and sweat on stage.
He said: “Pandemonium broke loose.
“The next thing I know, they’re improvising and offering me Lucozade in a teacup, saying, ‘Cup of tea, sir?’ and putting biscuits all over the dugout. So there have been moments where diabetes and theatre have collided.”
James Norton reveals how chaos broke out after diabetes scare halted glamorous dinner
