Writer, TV star and ex-MP Edwina Currie tells Miranda Jessop about the joys of septuagenarian life
Edwina Currie needs no introductions. Like it or not, she will forever be remembered as the outspoken health minister who, in the late 1980s, was forced to resign from Thatcher’s government after commenting that most of Britain’s egg production was infected with salmonella – and as the woman who, years later, confessed to an affair with another former prime minister, John Major.
But that is old ground and I am not here to rake over it. Instead, I want to quiz the former Surrey resident, who describes herself as a writer, broadcaster, politician and celebrity speaker, on her life at 70. As people in the public eye grow older, one expects them gradually to shy away from the media glare. Not Edwina. As her latest reality TV appearance attests, she is positively relishing her golden years.
“When you are in your 30s and 40s you think that being 70 sounds like the pits of hell, but in fact, when you get there, it is quite enjoyable,” she tells me. “You have a lot more freedom, you’ve learned to say ‘no’ to things you don’t want to do, and it’s really rather nice. You can start the day thinking: ‘You know what, I don’t feel like doing anything today, I’m going to sit in the garden and read.”
Edwina’s top tips for staying youthful are to get a good night’s sleep, drink lots of water and – in her case – walk the dogs every day.
“I think dogs should be prescribed on the NHS,” she insists. “They are so good for you mentally and physically.”
Not everything, however, is quite as nature intended: as she is happy to divulge, Edwina had cosmetic surgery over 20 years ago.
“When my career in Parliament ended, I realised that I would need to earn my living differently. Writing books aside, I was offered some presenting work in TV. I took a long, hard look in the mirror and saw that I looked just like my dad with big bags under my eyes. So I spent my redundancy money on a facelift.”
Her first foray into reality television came in 2004 when she was invited to appear in Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay. She had gone back to writing when the offer came out of the blue, and she accepted really just for a bit of fun.
“A few of us taking part realised that harmony on TV is boring, while conflict draws in the punters. So we conspired together to annoy Gordon, which wasn’t difficult. He had never worked with non-cooks before, we were making a mess of everything and he was horrified. There was a huge row, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and learned to make a decent soup and a pistachio soufflé dessert, both of which I still make. They wouldn’t let me loose on the meat or the fish!”
A long line of reality show appearances followed, including Strictly, I’m a Celebrity and Celebrity Wife Swap, in which Edwina certainly met her match when she was partnered with horse racing pundit John McCririck. She always resolves simply to be herself, she says, rather than pretend to be anything different.
“The producers quite like including a few oldies, as they know we will come up with our own madnesses and it makes for great television. I tend to be the person they go to when they can’t get Ann Widdecombe,” she laughs.
Her most recent reality outing, in The Baby Boomers’ Guide to Growing Old on More 4, saw Edwina dressed from head to toe in black leather and sporting bright pink hair, singing in a punk band with 73-year-old lead singer, Charlie Harper.
“The refrain from Charlie was ‘I don’t want to die’ to a very loud beat. My part was to intervene by shouting out random words, when told, such as ‘Alzheimer’s’ and ‘care home’. It was fun, though it’s not something I am planning to repeat. I came home with ringing eardrums and no voice and it took me three days to wash the pink dye out of my hair.”
Another episode showed Edwina and fellow celebrity baby boomer, Johnny Ball looking at dating websites.
“We found out that if you tap ‘granny dating’ into your computer, what comes up is pretty eye-opening. There’s an awful lot of wobbly flesh on show.”
Not that Edwina needs the services of such websites, being happily married to her second husband, John Jones, a former senior detective with the Metropolitan Police. They lived in Surrey for 10 years but have now relocated to the Peak District, in Derbyshire, and between them have six grown-up children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Edwina considers herself fortunate still to have her health and hopes that she possesses good genes: her mother was nearly 93 when she died.
“I reckon I’ve only completed two thirds of my life so far, so there’s still a lot of time to come.”
Has she thought further ahead and made provision for her old age?
“Yes, there’s a reason I haven’t given all my money away to my children. If I get to my 90s, I am going to need care and that is going to cost a lot of money, and I accept that. If I can afford it, I will pay for it. I do not want other people paying their taxes to look after me if I can do it myself.”
The thought of going into a care home is not so unappealing for Edwina, as she spent 15 years running a monthly book club for residents at Nightingale House in Wandsworth, one of the largest residential homes for the elderly in Europe. She even once flew back early from South Africa rather than miss a session.
“Along with writing, reading has always been a big passion for me and the book club was just lovely. It was purely for the ladies – they wanted it that way, as they felt that they wouldn’t be able to read naughty books if there were men there,” she laughs. “About four times a year, I would invite an author to join us. PD James came aged 79, looked around with a beam and said: ‘How nice to be one of the youngest people in the room!’”
Edwina seems very content with her life at 70, having celebrated her big birthday last year with a ‘cakes and ale’ party for 100 people. But I wonder whether, given her time again, there is anything in particular that she would change.
“If I could have one thing turn out differently, it would be the way Parliament behaved over the eggs. We did have an awful lot of sickness. Now food safety is taken much more seriously than it was then.”
And, seeing as she’s mentioned the infamous eggs, I feel brave enough to wade further into controversial waters. Does she, I wonder, have any regrets about her affair with John Major?
“None whatsoever,” she insists. “It was nice at the time. To be honest, I don’t think my generation really does guilt and regrets.”
Which leads me seamlessly on to my final question: is it possible for septuagenarians to enjoy a fulfilling love life? The answer is unequivocal.
“Oh you can, you can,” Edwina assures me. “All I will say is that experience helps and arthritis doesn’t.”
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