Whether you love her most as chain smoking Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous, sassy secret agent Purdey in The New Avengers, snotty mum felicity in Amandaland or Grandmama Hester Frump in Wednesday, it’s hard to believe Dame Joanna Lumley turns 80 next month. But, while she’s a global superstar who’s rubbed shoulders with everyone from royalty to rockers, she’s unlikely to take centre stage at a star-studded do.
Joanna on turning 80
‘I don’t want a big bash,’ she’s said. ‘My birthday falls in the summer term, so I never had a party at school, and my 80th won’t be any different, though of course we’ll say, “How lovely”, and have friends round for supper.’ Joanna, who is vegetarian, says husband Stephen is a ‘good cook’, and no doubt she’ll raise a glass of bubbly to celebrate her milestone. She is known for her fondness of fizz, and even toured French Champagne vineyards for a TV series with A_bsolutely Fabulous_ co-star Jennifer Saunders. Yet while her alter-ego Patsy was rarely without a bottle of Bollinger, Joanna is much more measured. ‘Truthfully, I’ve never really drunk much,’ she’s said. ‘I can’t stand feeling woozy.’
On not slowing down
With such an impressive career behind her, you’d be forgiven for thinking the actress might take life a little slower these days. However, that’s far from the case. In addition to filming Wednesday in Ireland, her Argentinian travelogue is set to air this year. Add Amandaland into the mix, and she’s most definitely not resting on her laurels.
‘As you near the top of the hill you suddenly think, “Gosh, there’s not all that amount of time left”,’ she’s said. ‘My time must be coming quite soon, and I don’t want to have wasted a minute of being on this beautiful planet. I used to panic when I was young, but as I’ve got older I’ve started literally to live day to day.’
How she manages to stay so young
When asked in the past how she manages to stay youthful Joanna has said, ‘Look for people that you can help, or things that you can be interested in or learn, and have gratitude in your heart.’
One thing’s for sure – as she approaches 80, the no-nonsense star won’t be dwelling on the past. Not only does she think ‘growing old is good’, she’s also a big believer in the power of positive thinking.
‘I struggle to think of bad times because I delete them,’ she’s said. ‘There’s no point in dragging sadness about with you and going, “Oh, I had such a bad time”. Leave it! It’s gone. You can’t do anything about it.’ She’s adamant she can’t see the point in self-reflection either, saying, ‘I think we’re all as dull as ditch water. I like reading books, looking at paintings and talking to people and hearing new ideas.’
Alongside reading and art, the actress counts cricket and classical music among her passions, even revealing that, as a child, she loved Beethoven so much she thought she’d written it herself. As an adult, that enthusiasm has been fuelled by her husband, pianist and composer Stephen Barlow.
The couple live together in south London, where they have a music room in their garden.
‘I love music,’ said Joanna, who has a son, Jamie, 57, from her relationship with photographer Michael Claydon, and two granddaughters in their 20s.
How she keeps her marriage alive
‘But until I married Stephen, I didn’t know much, so it’s been a learning curve.’ Sure enough, that learning curve extended to a joint podcast, Joanna and the Maestro, talking about music. ‘I bore Stephen to bits sitting in the bath last thing at night when he’s reading in the bedroom,’ she’s said. ‘I ask questions about music because, while I completely love it, I am, in the true sense of the word, an amateur.’
This year, the couple celebrate 40 years of marriage, and Joanna believes that success is partly down to their separate work lives. ‘I go off on trips and I do stuff and film.
He goes off and does operas and things,’ she said. ‘But I think one of the first things you’ve got to have for whoever you marry, who is going to be your chosen companion, is
respect. You’ve got to think the world of them. You’ve got to think they’re the cat’s pyjamas, because if you don’t, it’s got no chance.’
A lifelong love of travel
Travel has also been a huge part of Joanna’s life and, over the years, we’ve seen her visit places across the world, from India to Japan and even the Trans-Siberian Express. ‘I was born in a suitcase,’ she said. ‘I was born in Kashmir and then started travelling with my father’s regiment, the Gurkhas.’
Aged eight, Joanna was sent to boarding school in Kent, and she remains friends with schoolmates to this day. Of course, she also counts co-star Jennifer Saunders among her long-time friends and has often been snapped sharing a giggle with King Charles.
So, what’s her advice when it comes to building successful relationships? ‘The secret, darling, is to love everyone you meet, from the moment you meet them,’ she said.
‘Give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Start from a position that they are lovely and that you will love them. Most people will respond to that and love you back.’
Sophie Barton is a freelance writer and editor with 23 years' experience in the national press and evolving digital media landscape. She writes and edits for magazines including Woman & Home, Health & Wellbeing, Closer, Bella and Yours, focusing primarily on wellbeing and celebrity.