‘At My Age, I Don't Have To Be Polite!'

Dame Sheila Hancock on her lust for life and why she’s lost her manners as she’s got older

- Sue Crawford

Not everyone enjoys the ageing process, but Dame Sheila Hancock is definitely a glass half-full sort of person.

For the past three years she has battled rheumatoid arthritis, but she reckons that one of the upsides of being 88 is that you can get away with far more than when you were younger.

‘If I’m a bit curt with somebody, my daughter will say, “Oh, forgive her, she’s old!”’ she reveals with a wry smile. ‘And before lockdown, when we could all get together in a group, I could actually say things like, “Look, I’m awfully bored, I’ve had enough, I’m going home. Sorry.”

‘You can do that when you’re old – they just dismiss you as a silly old fart – you couldn’t possibly do that when you’re young.’

‘I am difficult,’ she continues. ‘I’ve got to the age where I can’t be bothered to be polite. Now, particularly when I’m working, I’ll say what I think. I hope I’m not cruel ever, but I haven’t got the time to try and think of a polite way of saying things. I don’t worry what people think any more.’