Mary Kennedy

Well, I have to say, when Hachette Publishing approached me, I said yes right away because I think it's very timely, Miriam.

I think, you know, the way they used it was a book that we need to talk about, Kevin.

We need to talk about ageing.

We are a population that is getting older and we are living longer and healthier, thank goodness, lives.

And long may that continue.

And I think older people have earned, myself included, have earned the right to take up space.

And I think there is still a conception that, you know, even pre-budget now, there's talk about the way we have to balance the books because people are getting older and therefore pensions are going to be paid for longer.

So what? Absolutely.

This is the result of living.

The actual title of the book, Miriam, Now You Are Wonderful, it comes from a quote by an English aristocrat and she was a silent movie actress, Lady Diana Cooper.

And the full quote is, first you are young, then you are middle-aged, then you are old, then you are wonderful.

Because as older people, we are the accumulation of all of the life lessons and experiences, and we have an awful lot to offer.

And I love, you mentioned it there, the idea of taking up space.

I mean, you feel that very strongly, don't you?

I do.

I don't think we should let invisibility in.

And I think, what I hope is that people who read this book, if they are of an age with me, that they might be buoyed by some of the memories that I have evoked of my life and what impact they have had on my life and that I have come to a stage of forgiveness for myself and also a confidence that I never had before.

I also hope that young people who read it will realise this is what's in store for me if I am lucky and also that they all view older people differently to be celebrated, to be regarded, to be, well, not revered, because that's putting them in a category above others, but just to be important.

We are important.

You know, these are people who have contributed, they've reared, they've cared, they've paid bills.

And now this is a moment of liberation, of freedom, of clarity and of still contribution

and relevance.

And I think you mentioned there, some readers might be surprised to find that you weren't always confident and you go into some of the reasons for that.

Where do you think that lack of confidence when you were younger stems from?