Denise Drysdale 'I'M NOT DONE LIVING...or laughing!'

THE AUSSIE ICON HAS PLENTY OF REASONS TO CELEBRATE 75 YEARS YOUNG

- Emma Vidgen

Denise Drysdale has never been one for making a fuss on her birthday. But after living pain-free for the past 12-months, she had every reason to celebrate when she turned 75 on December 5.

"It's been a terrific year," Denise says. "I've worked non-stop with some of my best mates Normie [Rowe], Craig [Bennett], Jess [Rowe] on Studio 10 and lots of my own stuff." More than anything, it's Denise's health that's been a blessing.

"I finally feel on top of how I felt," she tells New Idea exclusively. "I don't think I realised how sick I was until I got better."

Regaining her mobility has been a joy for Denise, after spending much of 2021 and 2022 in excruciating pain following a trigeminal neuralgia (TN) diagnosis.

Inviting us into her Gold Coast home for a catch-up and celebratory photo shoot, Denise, one of our popular columnists, explains, "It was one of those things that cripple you. It changed how I walked, even simple things like how I got things out of a drawer.

"It felt like electric shocks. The pain was caused by the artery touching the nerve. Some mornings I'd just sit and inch my way out of bed because I knew as soon as I stood up it was going to start."

The TN diagnosis was the last in a slew of health problems, including a fractured shoulder that left Denise feeling rundown and exhausted.

"There was a period there where I thought, 'Geez, what else can He have in store for me? I mean, I say 'He' ... God might be a woman ... but if She is, She hasn't got a sense of humour," Denise says with a laugh.

Girls' day out