‘KEEPING POSITIVE is so important'

Actor Patricia Hodge reveals why she thinks an upbeat outlook is the only way to go through life

- HAYLEY MINN

like many of us, Patricia Hodge, 74, found lockdown tough. Her husband sadly died from dementia in 2016 after 40 years of marriage, but luckily she wasn’t alone, thanks to her beloved family.

One of her two sons, Edward, 28, lives with her and kept her company during the social distancing restrictions. While she was able to meet her other son, Alexander, 31, on a little terrace in front of her apartment, ‘as soon as we were allowed to meet outside,’ she adds.

‘Having a family is second to none,’ she tells us. ‘And it is an achievement because it’s not anything that we have an entitlement to.’

As well as her children, writing a diary kept her going throughout the lockdown.

‘I thought, right at the beginning, if I don’t write things down, one day will merge into the next and I’ll look back and think, what the hell did I do in that time?

‘I’ve done more reading than I would do normally,’ she adds, ‘which has been wonderful.’