‘I’ve just got angrier as I’ve GOT OLDER!’

Dame Sheila Hancock talks to us about her impending 90th birthday and why she’s getting more grumpy the older she gets

- SUE CRAWFORD

She may well have imagined a peaceful old age, punctuated by visits from her grandchildren, occasional acting jobs and pleasant lunches with her friends.

But while they all feature in Dame Sheila Hancock’s busy life, the peace of mind she assumed would come with the passing of time, has so far failed to materialise.

‘I’m a grumpy old woman!’ she declares. ‘Contentment hasn’t come to me in old age, in fact I get angrier.

‘I’d much rather be serene and smiling. All my life I’ve envied people like that. They are still disturbed by things that are going on in the world, but they don’t rush around being boring about it, which I do. ‘I’m always ranting on about something and I think people probably avoid me. I would avoid me too, if I possibly could!’

Politics and the pandemic are just two topics that get Sheila hot under the collar, but rather than sit around moaning, she prefers action.

Our interview is conducted during a short break from her latest project, helping her Quaker meeting house set up a reception for refugees from Ukraine. ‘That’s the sort of thing that happens to me. Most people just send a donation and feel lovely about it, but I seem to always be up to my neck in it!’ she says wryly.