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Helen Lederer, 69, on rejection, honesty & longing for ‘perfection’
She might be best known for her hilarious comedy roles in shows such as Absolutely Fabulous and, more recently, her stint in Coronation Street. But Helen Lederer has another string to her bow – writing.
The comedian has written her third book, Not That I’m Bitter, a memoir in which she reflects on her life and career ahead of her 70th birthday in September. Here, Helen, who’s married to GP Chris Browne, and a mum to actress daughter Hannah, 33, with journalist ex-husband Roger Alton, tells us more…
What advice would you give your younger self?
If I met my 18-year-old self today, I’d tell her to hang on in there, to not despair when things go wrong, and to know that rejection doesn’t last forever. Everything might seem bleak at this moment but, come tomorrow, you might have bought a new pair of Levi’s, which will have cheered you up. And it’s good if things don’t always go your way. You have to follow your own path. I was the wheezy girl, very round and with a hairband when I was at school. But I was the funny one in the class. I was busy making people laugh. I must have been a nightmare for the teachers.
Your comic talent seems to have disguised a deep-seated unhappiness with your body image?
I have been in different phases with my body throughout my life. You always go, “Oh, if only I had the perfect legs.” You always just want the perfect body. I’ve not had a figure like a model or an attractive actress type, and so, throughout my life I experimented with diets – including limiting myself to 400 calories a day. I was no stranger to testing something out if I needed to lose weight, I didn’t care how I did it. I would have phases of going on and off slimming pills for many years. When they worked, I thought they were great, but it wouldn’t be long before my heart was racing. I remember there was a comedy
