EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Sadie Frost is one of Primrose Hill’s most famous residents, so it’s no big surprise that when HELLO! meets her in London in her local café, there’s a black-and-white framed photograph of her hanging on one of its walls. “Oh God, that’s embarrassing,” she says, taking her seat at our table directly beneath it.
The actress, producer, fashion designer and author turned yoga teacher has just returned from Amchara, a health retreat in Gozo, Malta, where she’s recently become a partner, and is a perfect embodiment of someone who practises what she preaches.
Wearing luxe exercise gear and little make-up, and with her diminutive dachshund Cherry perched on her lap, this Sadie bears no resemblance to the hedonistic “party girl” portrayed in the press more than 20 years ago.
Instead, she is balanced, calm and grounded, a result of her regular yoga and meditation practice and holistic lifestyle, which have helped transform her both mentally and physically over the years.
“There can be challenging moments in your career when things don’t go your way, or you’re worried about your kids or relationship problems… we all go through times when we’ve been broken-hearted or alone, and if you have your practice with you, that’s a relationship with you,” she says with conviction.
“If you’re stressed or anxious or depressed, doing meditation and yoga can change the chemistry of your brain.”
Her devotion to the mental-health benefits is deep-rooted. Growing up in an unconventional, bohemian but loving household with young parents – her mother was 16, her artist father 18 when she was born – alongside nine siblings and half-siblings, Sadie, 58, who attended the Italia Conti stage school before starring in films including Love, Honour and Obey, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Uprising, was, she says, an “anxious” child.
LOOKING BACK
“I remember having anxiety problems even at four years old, and I didn’t know how to deal with it as a kid. I had incredibly low self-esteem – all through my teens, and 20s, 30s, 40s even – until I got a really strong yoga practice.
“I was always very good at masking. And obviously things can appear to be lovely on the outside, but I was always doubting things, and felt my issues were quite deep.
“I don’t ever want to be a victim – I don’t want to moan about it – because everybody has something,” she’s quick to add. “
