All these stills arriving for Ab Fab: The Movie have reminded us just how much we love Patsy Stone, and, more importantly, what an amazing woman Joanna Lumley is. Sure enough, today Jennifer Saunders presented her with the EON Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th annual Women in Film and TV Awards in London. But there are so many other reasons why Joanna rocks aside from her most famous vodka-swilling, fag-chuffing role. Let us be your guide.
She’s snogged Leo
At 66 years old, Joanna became the envy of every Victoria’s Secret model (well, the ones who hadn’t been there already) when she locked lips with Leonardo DiCaprio on a bench in The Wolf Of Wall Street.
Interviewed about the pash, Lumley had this to say: “I have the biggest crush on him and I’m old enough to be his mother. As an actor he was just perfect. I had to rehearse him a bit for the kissing though. He had to learn from an older woman.” We hope our seventh decade is this fun-filled.
Her Muller Corner Ads
Lumley has lent her silky tones to a huge number of television and radio ads over the years but never was she more seductive than when introducing a confused Britain to the idea of yoghurt with a side pot of fruit compote back in the 1990s. And even though Martine McCutcheon gave it her best shot, Joanna has really only been the one person successful at making fermented milk sexy.
Her support of the Gurkhas
Joanna’s support of Gurkha veterans, who are recruited from Nepal to join the British Army, over the years has been cheering. Her father served with the Gurkha Rifles, a regiment of the British Indian Army, and she tirelessly campaigned for those with at least four years’ service the right to settle in Britain. The law was changed by the Government in 2009 and she is now treated like a queen in Nepal.
She had the original 'Rachel'
Patsy is such a loved character that it’s easy to forget she had some other amazing parts. Not only did she play a Bond girl in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but her role as Emma Purdy in The Avengers helped popularise one of the must-have hairstyles of the 1970s, when women everywhere ran to the salon in search of 'a Purdey bob.'
The Garden Bridge
Joanna dreamt up the idea of a bridge covered in trees and fauna that crossed the Thames back in 1998. Now, with the help of Thomas Heatherwick, it is set to be a reality. So far, the Garden Bridge, a fairytale crossing between Temple and the South Bank, has divided opinion, with many thinking it a waste of public funds. But there is a business model in place to ensure it doesn’t drain taxpayers’ money. “It will set hearts racing and calm troubled minds. It will enchant everyone who uses it,” says Joanna. Sounds more pleasant than the Waterloo bridge, anyhow. Roll on 2018.
Joanna hearts animals
A staunch vegetarian, Joanna has been an active crusader for animal rights over the years and is a patron of the Farm Animal Sanctuary. But it’s not just cuddly creatures that she enjoys. She has confessed to keeping mice in her underwear drawer at boarding school and earlier this year shared that she regularly feeds wild foxes in her garden and even allows them onto her sofa to unwind while her husband, conductor Stephen Barlow, plays the piano. “They live in London, as I do,” she told the Daily Mail. “I give them nice dog food from the supermarket and it keeps them well — stops them getting mange.”
Patsy Stone for PM
OK, so we had to include Patsy. There are so many glorious moments of our favourite (part-time) fashion editor, it’s tricky to pick just one to post here. But this reaction to a tabloid newspaper revealing Patsy’s real age (47) after she has an affair with a politician is priceless.
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