The big interview
Twiggy opens up to Good Housekeeping about saying yes to new opportunities, reveals the exercise that changed her life and shares the boundless joy she feels in being a hands-on grandmother
Seeing Dame Twiggy sitting down for lunch with the team at the Good Housekeeping cover shoot tells you all you need to know about her. Her hair is in rollers, but she remains effortlessly glamorous and relaxed as she chats to everyone around the table. It’s hard to believe she’s been world-famous since becoming the face of a generation aged just 16, going on to star in films, have hit records, appear on Broadway, win two Golden Globe Awards and become a Dame.
A musical based on her life, Close-Up: The Twiggy Musical, written and directed by Ben Elton, will premiere at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory in September and next year her story will be told in a new documentary directed by Sadie Frost. Twiggy also hosts a podcast, Tea With Twiggy, which she launched in 2020. ‘I just like doing things – Ilove to work!’ she says of how busy she is.
Twiggy, now 73, who lives in London with her husband, Leigh Lawson, and has a daughter, Carly, stepson, Jason, and five grandchildren, shares the secrets to her zest for life, work and family.
Photography DAVID VENNI
You have so many projects on the go, how do you decide what to say yes to?
I only get involved with projects that really spark something in me, with people I love and want to work with. Ben Elton is an old friend and I love him to bits. He’s a huge talent – so clever and such a sweet man. The musical came about when we were having dinner about six years ago and he said, half-jokingly, ‘I should do your story! It’s an amazing story set in an amazing period – Ishould write it.’ We all laughed, but he started working on it and when he mentioned it to David Babani, the artistic director of the Menier Chocolate Factory, David jumped at it. I’ve only seen the show at a workshop and I can’t give anything away, but that was very emotional.
How did the documentary come about?
I had Sadie Frost on my podcast, Tea With Twiggy, to talk about her documentary on Mary Quant, which is wonderful. When I asked if she was going to do any more documentaries, she said, ‘Ooh, I should do you!’ Again, I laughed and thought she was joking – there’s a theme here, isn’t there? But when we went off air, she told me she was serious. I really like Sadie: she is a rather remarkable woman and I trust her. Obviously, a life has good times and bad times, and most of it will be mentioned, but there is nothing in either of the productions that I wouldn’t want to be there.
