Actress Dawn French has opened up about her views on ageing and the criticism she receives about her appearance, stating that she has made firm decisions about how she wishes to look as she grows older. The Vicar of Dibley star, now 68, declared that she will not resort to cosmetic surgery as she approaches her 70s.
Defiant stance on ageing
Speaking to The Times, French said that negative comments about her age do not affect her. She emphasised her gratitude for reaching this stage of life. “Let them see it. I’m f***ing grateful to be this age,” she said. “I’ve made decisions about whether or not I’m going to take a machete to my face, and fine for anybody who wants to, but these are my decisions. People troll you and whatever, as if I would really care. Nothing will hurt me by criticising my age.”
Impervious to past criticism
The comedian, one half of the French & Saunders duo, also reflected on the comments about her weight that have followed her throughout her career. She explained that she now feels “impervious” to such attacks. “I feel a bit impervious to it now but you’re right, it’s shocking how much I’ve got used to reading this about myself. I just skim through and go, oh, there’s that s***,” she said.
This is not the first time French has addressed her changing appearance. In 2014, after a cancer scare, she was advised that losing weight would aid her recovery. She subsequently lost seven and a half stone, dropping from 19 stone to 11.5 stone. In a 2023 interview with The Times, she urged people not to judge her former self. “I have never rejected the bigger woman I have been. Lots of people do it and say, ‘Oh, you look so much better — now you look well.’ And I think, ‘F*** off! Don’t judge that other person who I loved.’”
French also defended her friend, singer Alison Moyet, who has often been reduced to descriptions of her physicality. “She’s this giant talent, why reduce her to that? I’m not taking any s*** from anyone about any of it,” French added.
Upcoming novel and TV role
French’s latest remarks come ahead of the release of her novel titled Enough, which follows a 68-year-old woman named Etta who is planning her own death. She has also recently appeared in the BBC sitcom Can You Keep a Secret?, which centres on a couple fraudulently claiming life insurance after the husband is mistakenly declared dead.
