The Lady Magazine

13 January 2017

Dear Readers, Saying goodbye to old friends is never easy and when Victoria Wood died last April it really did feel like we had all lost someone we held very dear. This week, her older brother, Chris, recounts for us in touching detail what their childhood was like and how she got to be such a superstar. But people don’t have to be superstars to make us long for more time with them. As I write, I am also thinking about the eulogy I will give at my godmother’s funeral. She wasn’t a global superstar, but she certainly lit up her corner of Surrey and enjoyed a long life, full of fun and laughter. But as she would have said herself, once with us, those we have loved are always with us. The adorable, hugely talented Barbara Taylor Bradford certainly believes that her beloved bichon dogs will forever be in her heart. She also tells us that she is often trying to sneak out of the house to buy Mars bars only to hide them behind books in her office. It’s a tale that will resonate with those of us struggling to give up sugar (and sherry) for January. Can I suggest looking through our fashion pages and indulging in a gorgeous animalprint cardi as a diversion?