Ruby Wax, the American-born comedian and mental health advocate, has shared a cherished memory of her friendship with Princess Diana ahead of her new BBC2 series, When Ruby Met.... In an interview, Wax recalled how Diana would hold her youngest daughter, Marina, now 28, on her lap, prompting Wax to jokingly ask if the princess could take the child for a few years. 'Diana thought Marina was pretty because Marina looked a little like her,' Wax said.
Wax, 68, met Diana at a charity gala in 1993 and later at the gym, forging a friendship that lasted until about a year before Diana's death in 1997. Despite speculation that Wax and Sarah Ferguson encouraged Diana to give the infamous 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir, Wax denied any involvement. 'I didn't know anything about it, absolutely,' she said, adding that she found the interview 'nauseating' and criticised Bashir for using it for his own celebrity.
Wax also condemned those who have disclosed private details about Diana, calling it 'revolting' and 'disgusting'. She believes the princess's death was partly due to intrusion into her private life, stating, 'People didn't have to chase her like that. She gave enough photos.'
The new series sees Wax revisiting her celebrity interview documentaries from the 1990s, including encounters with Donald Trump and OJ Simpson. She brings a new perspective informed by her later studies in mindfulness and psychology. Wax earned a master's degree from Oxford in 2013 and an OBE for services to mental health in 2015, after her own career collapsed and she sought treatment for severe depression at The Priory Clinic.
Reflecting on her approach, Wax said she never treated celebrities like 'goddesses' but as human beings, which Diana appreciated. 'I'd take the p*** out of pretentious people we knew and Diana would love that,' she recalled, adding hastily, 'Not the Queen!'
