Peter Andre has candidly admitted that he is 'thinking about death' more and more. The Mysterious Girl singer, 53, was struck by recent comments made by Dame Joanna Lumley ahead of her 80th birthday.
The Absolutely Fabulous star turned 80 on May 1 and explained to the Radio Times that she would rather see her mortality as a 'friend who's waiting around' rather than the 'colossal enemy.' The former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! star admitted that even though he is still in his fifties, he has started to realise that he has less time ahead of him than behind.
Writing in his new! magazine column, he said: 'Joanna Lumley is 80, can you believe it! In the run-up to her milestone birthday, she made some big comments about how she wanted to embrace death as much as life.'
'I really admire that because it can't be fun knowing that time is running out. As you get older, you realise that time is the only thing you can't pause or get it back.'
But the singer, who is in the middle of a major career comeback with his new album Legacy, admitted that he still feels young and is pleased that his parents are still here in their nineties.
He added: 'I still feel very young and energetic, but I think about death a lot more now than I did as a kid. In 40 years I'm going to be 93, the same age my dad is now. It's a scary thought. But you have to enjoy the here and now. By the way, thankfully, dad is doing great at 93!'
Joanna, who started her career as a model and then appeared in Coronation Street before becoming a household name through her role as Purdey in The New Avengers, is famed for her youthful appearance. In a new interview with The Mirror to mark her 80th birthday, she put it all down to her decision to follow a vegetarian diet.
She said: 'I do believe that not eating meat holds back the ageing process. But if vegetarianism is not for you, so be it. My husband Stephen isn't a veggie, and he's wonderful.'
'But most people used to eat meat three times a day - bacon and sausages for breakfast, a chop at lunchtime, a meat dish at night. Who does that these days? That's a move for the better. Eating so much convenience and junk food definitely isn't, though.'
Other than her Ab Fab role as Patsy, Lumley - who was awarded the OBE in 1995 and promoted DBE in 2022 for services to drama, entertainment and charitable causes - has had so many stellar acting roles over the years, she finds it hard to pinpoint career highlights.
'That's hard because I have been in the LOT, darling, everything from On The Buses to Are You Being Served - if my memory is correct, as a German shopper and the other time as a visiting saleswoman. I'll do anything to earn an honest crust!'
Regarded as an icon by her many fans, Joanna admitted that she has no plans to retire, even after decades in showbiz. She said: 'I am very lucky to have been and continue to be a busy girl, thank god. Long may that continue! If you'd told me 40 years ago that I'd have this following, it would have seemed ludicrous.'
