The broadcasting legend Janet Street-Porter, talks to Yours.co.uk about her lifelong love of reading, the physical damage she's done to herself from over exercising and why she'd never consider having Botox or fillers...
As a former journalist it comes as no surprise that Janet Street-Porter (77), is an avid lover of the written word. In fact, she admits to devouring four national newspapers a day.
"I’m addicted to reading the news," she confesses. "I read four national newspapers a day and a lot magazines. I use the app Readly as it allows me skim read lots of different things. Occasionally I read magazines aimed at older people, but that will often annoy me!" she laughs.
You certainly get the sense that Janet doesn't see herself as an 'older person' despite being in her seventies, but her body is certainly letting her know her age. She admits to suffering from an array of ailments that she believes were caused from doing too much exercise in her youth.
"All my arthritis is the result of over exercise," she says. "I had a gym in my house for 20 years and I had a personal trainer once or twice a week for 10 years. I did a lot of long distance walking and that’s what wrecked my legs. My determination to be fit was too extreme in the end. I have inflamed joints, I've already had a knee replacement and I might have to have a hip replacement, but I just don’t even want to think about that. I’m not very good with dealing with it. I get really cross about it. I'd give anything to go back to being able to walk two hours a day."
These days she manages to walk around 5,000 steps a day, which is still pretty impressive and has found a love of cold water swimming.
"I swim now in rivers and lakes. It’s less stress on my muscles but not very good for your arthritis. Mentally you’re alright but your joints are stiff."
Another way Janet is keeping herself mentally fit is by reading as much as she can.
"I've got a cutting here that says the rate of brain decline can be reduced by 32% in people who read regularly and I read an awful lot."
As well as news, Janet loves reading fiction books, especially thrillers and Scandi Noir.
"I’ve always got two or three books on the go. I read a book for at least 15 minutes before I go to bed. I love thrillers from Jo Nesbø, anything Scandi Noir like Johan Theorin and Henning Mankell.
"I've also been reading Patrick Hamilton who is an amazingly miserable novelist from the early fifties and sixties. Everything is so miserable in the books it makes you think your own life isn’t so bad!"
Is she still a lover of a traditional printed book or does she use a Kindle?
"When it comes to books I always read the physical copies. I’ve got a library in my house where I keep all the fiction I’ve ever read, plus all the factual books I’ve collected over the years, including art and history books and tons of maps, as my other obsession is walking. Even though as I’ve got older walking has got more challenging!"
It sounds like Janet could open her very own library. In fact, she admits it was a job in her local library that opened her eyes to the pleasure reading can bring!
"I helped out at the Fulham Central Library when I was at school. I must been about 12 or 13. The main reason for going was to read the adult books- the ones you weren’t supposed to be reading. I remember reading Lady Chatterley’s Lover and thinking ‘Oh my gosh this is exciting!’"
Janet has been a big presence on our TV screens for many years now, firstly as presenter on London Weekend Television back in 1975 and now as a regular panellist on Loose Women, Have I Got News For You and Question Time. So has she ever fallen to the pressure of having treatments like Botox or fillers?
"I haven’t had them. I’ve seen some early disasters and I think on women my age it looks a bit weird. If you start interfering around your eye area too much you do start to get that panda eye look.
Then there’s the trend of building up the cheekbones- you look like a chipmunk! I can’t believe the lengths people go to."
When it comes to ageing Janet says she's always looking for tips and advice on how to age well.
"I read every article I can about how to stop the ageing process. Even at 77 I’m looking for advice on how to age as best I can. Quite frankly, I don’t understand why I’m not immortal because I do eat the perfect diet. I don’t smoke and I've even banned butter from the house."
If there's one word you'd use to describe Janet, then confident would certainly be it, but like most of us, as we age this can change. So how does the woman known for her straight-talking and no-nonsense style, deal with the anxiety that can come with ageing?
"These days I just let things go. When stuff really annoys me at work, things I can't change, I just let it go and make sure it doesn’t go into the next day. I'll also write things down before I go to bed then re-read it in the morning and it’s such drivel you realise it’s not worth it."
These days Janet says the things that bring her the most joy in life are good company, good food and growing her own fruit and vegetables!
"I love having friends round and cooking a big meal, like a roast chicken and laughing our heads off at the most stupid things.
"I’m also really into growing my own veg. Right now I've got beans, potatoes and onions on the go."
That certainly sounds like a recipe for happiness to us!
How old is Janet Street-Porter?
Janet Street-Porter was born in Brentford on the 27th December 1946, making her 77 years old currently.
Who is Janet Street-Porter's husband?
Janet Street-Porter doesn't have a spouse, but has been in a relationship with Peter Spanton since 1999. She has been married four times and her surname comes from her first husband.
Does Janet Street-Porter have children?
No, Janet does not have any children and has spoken publicly about her decision not to have them.
How old is Janet Street-Porter?
Janet Street-Porter was born in Brentford on the 27th December 1946, making her 77 years old currently.
Readly, the app that provides access to over 7,000 digital magazines and newspapers, found that two thirds of people read to keep their brains active and for relaxation. Reading books, magazines and newspapers has many benefits such as mental stimulation, lifelong learning, relaxation, plus knowledge and insight gathering.
Claire Tapley is a digital editor for Yours.co.uk. She is a journalist with over 16 years' experience writing for women over 50. In her previous role she was Deputy Editor on Yours magazine for nine years.
Claire is extremely passionate about all things health related, specifically fitness and healthy eating. She has a huge amount of knowledge on all areas that interest women over 50 including health, wellbeing, finance, food, tech, beauty and fashion.