The three key words above are, I think, a winning combination for a woman. As regular readers will know, being frank and fearless is something we love to champion at Good Housekeeping. Indeed, in the very first editor’s letter more than 100 years ago, it was our stated mission to highlight the views of outspoken women in the public eye, creating a dialogue around the important subjects they raised – and so it has remained ever since. But now, I believe, adding a sense of mischief into the mix is vital, particularly at times when we could do with some light and humour in our lives alongside the shade.
Our wonderful cover star, Dame Judi Dench, is certainly all three of these qualities rolled into one and I know how much you’ll enjoy hearing from her in these pages. She’s whip-smart, deep-thinking, full of wisdom and also wickedly funny, as we discovered when we interviewed her along with her longtime friend, actor and director Brendan O’Hea (page 16). I’ve personally been working on securing an interview with Dame Judi for the past 16 years and can assure you that not only has my dream now come true, but she also exceeded my every expectation. While arguably this country’s very best actor, she wears her talent and success lightly, as you’ll discover.
We’ve also chosen in this magazine to shine a spotlight on some other amazing female role models in our Women of the Year feature (page 50). Clearly, this is not an exhaustive list, as our country is bursting with highly gifted women in all sectors; rather,
