The Lady Magazine

2 August 2019

Dear Readers, It is often said that a true friend will tell you what you really look like, but who really wants friends like that? Most of us end up delivering a little white lie, or a delicate version of the truth because by the time someone has arrived across town for the girls get together it is too late to tell them that they look like a sofa. Most of us, of course, have an intuitive sense of when we look rather good, or, as the young people say Match Fit, but it can be hard. Over the years, I have interviewed a variety of experts, and it is the culmination of this wisdom that forms the backbone of our feature on how to Look Ageless. Winston Churchill had very little worries about his looks, not least as he was known to wander naked around his home and receive visiting dignitaries in the bath. As Jacob F. Fields reveals, Churchill had many quirks, including wearing silk undies – and I’m sure they really suited him. Damian Lewis, the actor best known for his epic TV roles in Band of Brothers and Homeland, is about to appear on our silver screens portraying the movie idol, Steve McQueen, a man who quite simply always looked like a god. The same cannot be said for the dear pets taking part in this year’s Pet Fit Club in association with the PDSA . Will Percy the Pug lose 40 per cent of his bodyweight? Will Alfie the Labrador shed a mammoth 28 kilos to become slimmer of the year? Will any of us be able to resist the delicious recipes on our food pages? I can feel the tension rising… Until 16 August, best wishes Sam Taylor