Prue Leith, Gloria Hunniford and Lesley Joseph’s top tips to thriving in your 70s and beyond
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Dame Prue Leith, 84, Birds of a Feather sitcom star Lesley Joseph, 79, and broadcaster Gloria Hunniford, 84, joined Janet Street-Porter, 78, on the Loose Women panel for a This is 70+ special.
In the show – which marked ITV’s 70th birthday – the four powerhouse panellists discussed everything from fashion to friendships in your 70s and beyond.
Here are some valuable life lessons they’ve learnt along the way…
Prue Leith
The Great British Bake Off judge said that although a few negative things come with age, she has decided to make the most of it and have fun. And one way she does this is through colourful outfits choices.
“I have always liked colour, but I didn’t dare wear it and then I started to be a bit braver,” said Leith. “I got married in a red dress.”
Having a supportive spouse [John Playfair], who happens to be a retired clothes designer with exquisite taste, has helped push the chef out of her comfort zone.
“When I married John he was a fashion designer and a manufacturer, so he really pushes me,” said Leith. “If I say, ‘Do you think these earrings are too extreme?’ He says, ‘No,no have the bigger ones’. He always pushes me.”
Her top tip for women looking to refine their style in their 70s is to invest in eye-catching accessories, such as bright signature glasses.
“I think that we waste far too much money on handbags and shoes, and where do they sit? In the cupboard or under the table. Nobody looks at them,” said Leith. “If you wear necklaces and glasses and earrings they are bang in your eye-line, and people see them. So, change your spending habits.”
On the show, she also encouraged women to embrace their glorious grey locks.
“I used to streak it, when everybody used to have lots of different streaks, but then after a while I thought the streak I liked the best was the grey one,” said Leith.
Gloria Hunniford
For Hunniford, having a positive attitude about ageing is key to thriving in your 70s and beyond.
“When I used to get to the big fat zeros, like 60 or 70, I used to think, ‘Oh I hate the zeros’,” shared Hunniford. “But, once the zero day passed then everything was fantastic. So, I think it is all about attitude and embracing it.
“Quite frankly, I wake up every morning and think I’m glad I am still alive to actually enjoy it.”
And, like Leith, she finds confidence in colourful clothing.
“My mantra would be colour, colour, colour,” said the broadcaster. “The older I get, the more colour I want.”
Since her husband passed away last year, Hunniford has rediscovered the importance of friendships. She encouraged anyone who is feeling lonely to pick up the phone.
“I don’t do any social media stuff at all, I just lift the phone, the good old phone, when I want to have a chat,” said Hunniford. “Even when I can print off information from my computer, I’ll still say to someone, ‘Give me your phone number will you?’ I like to phone people.“When I lost my lovely husband four or five months ago, you realise the importance of family, because I have a great family, but also friendship. Friends got in touch that I hadn’t seen for ages.”
Lesley Joseph
Lesley Joseph described ageing as “liberating” on the Loose Women special, and encouraged others to be authentically themselves.
“I feel much freer now I am older, because I am working in a different way,” said the sitcom star. “I’ve got to this age and can be who I am, I can do what I want and I am free to do that, and it’s very liberating.”
Joseph’s mother, Rebecca Mundy, who died at age 103, played tennis until late in life, and the actor said she tries to mirror this energy and zest for life.
“She was amazing, she lived through two world wars, she was born in 1912, she played tennis into her 90s, and it was all about keeping fit,” said Joseph. “I walk everywhere. If I’m in Sloane Square at the hairdresser or something and I am meeting somebody in the West End I will walk two miles to get there.”
Surrounding herself with a circle of great friends, of all ages, has also helped her thrive in her 70s.
“I am very lucky because when I work on a show where I am meeting with people all of the time,” said Joseph. “I have got friends from back when I was practically born… and also I work with a lot of young people. Like in Sister Act [the musical] which I have just been doing, there are people from every age group and I always try and take two or three good friends away from every show.”
