'I just adore being 70': Joanna Lumley explains why she loves getting older and admits her granddaughters think Ab Fab is 'terrifyingly vile'
She is loved by fans around the world as the outrageous and outlandish Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous.
But Joanna Lumley has admitted her granddaughters think her character's antics - along with her partner in crime Edina Monsoon, played by Jennifer Saunders - are 'terrifyingly vile',
The pair have reprised their roles in the highly anticipated film, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, set to be released on July 1.
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Fabulous: Joanna Lumley has admitted her granddaughters think her character's antics - along with Edina Monsoon, played by Jennifer Saunders - are 'terrifyingly vile' in a new interview with Good Housekeeping
Lumley begin playing Patsy back in 1992 - almost a quarter of a century ago - but insists ageing doesn't faze her and, if anything, has always yearned to be older.
'All I have ever longed for was to get older – when I was 12 I wanted to be 18, when I was 30 I wanted to be 50,' she told Good Housekeeping magazine.
On turning 70 this year, she was characteristically upbeat. 'I thought I was going to be 80,' she said roaring with laughter, adding, 'Oh look, it doesn't mean anything to me.
'I just adore being 70. You lose your fear. There is an obsession with numbers. People say 70 is the new 60 and 60 is the new 20… Why don't we all quieten down a bit and just get on with it?'
Possibly a little embarrassed by her on-screen persona, Lumley revealed her granddaughters - aged 11 and 12 - are being prepped for her new film's premiere, which they will attend to support their famous granny.
Stunning at 70: The actress is not afraid of aging and said, 'I just adore being 70. You lose your fear'
'They haven't seen Ab Fab before, and my daughter-in-law is putting them through a crash course so they are not too shocked by their grandmother,' she explained.
'It's quite odd for them because Patsy comes wrapped up in my body. They have never seen me being Patsy, so you kind of flinch slightly, but they laugh a lot.
'I think they think we are terrifyingly vile. They just love Saffy, probably because she suffers from these ghastly parents. If you are a little girl you would side with Saffy, who is trying to do her best.'
Positing why the Patsy and Edina's friendship was so attractive to viewers, Lumley said: 'Patsy is inseparable from Jennifer's character, Edina. The thing people like about the two of them is that, no matter how vile they are, they adore one another.
Strong bond: Lumley said Patsy and Edina's friendship was so attractive to viewers because no matter how many arguments they had the pair always reunited
'They have always been friends and they are always going to be friends. They have the odd scrap, the odd tiff, but they always get back together again. I think women find that really great.'
While many would be considering slowing down at 70, Lumley wants to continue entertaining and doing charity work for as long as she can.
'I never stop; I don't know what life is like otherwise… What I do is so much part of my life – I can't imagine not working,' she said.
'You can't predict how you will age or what age will do to you. If you find it very hard to walk or remember lines, then you would zero down on that.
'But you don't just stop caring about the charity things you do. You just go on doing what you can. Keep on doing what you can for as long as you can.'
The full interview with Lumley appears in the July issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale May 31. Also available in digital edition on Apple Newsstand.
For further exclusive content, please go to goodhousekeeping.co.uk.
Sweetie, darling! Joanna and Jennifer Saunders have reprised their roles in the highly anticipated film, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, set to be released on July 1
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