Michael Parkinson

MICHAEL PARKINSON, 82, is best known for his TV talk show Parkinson. He lives with his wife, Mary, a retired teacher, with whom he has three grown-up sons, Andrew, Nicholas and Michael.

TRUST THOSE YOU LOVE TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH

AS a child, the greatest thing I had was parents who loved me. I was an only child, but never lonely. I had a vivid imagination and lots of mates.

A kaleidoscope of events propelled me forwards. My father was a miner. He had no choice, but was determined that I wouldn’t go down the pit. I was the first in 100 years of Parkinson males not to go.

My mother was very bright, so she wanted me to go to grammar school. My parents gave me a real sense of safety and never caused me to doubt myself. I think that’s what kept me on an even keel. I never had a big inferiority complex, much as people tried to give me one later on.

I was lucky with the woman I married. I met Mary, a teacher, on a bus. This girl with reddish-gold hair and a red duffle coat sat behind me. I remember thinking I could gaze upon that face for a long time without tiring. Mary didn’t drink or smoke, but fitted easily into my boozy group of journalists. Full of exuberance, she laughed and danced her way through life.

I had lovely counterbalances to stop me falling into the showbiz bowl. The door was always open for me to go into that world, but I never did. Although I was in an industry full of glamorous women, Mary and I managed to avoid separation. She is the least selfish person I know.

The only time she got worried about me was when I was drinking too much after my father died. She said: ‘You know the worst thing about you and drink: it makes you ugly.’ That bothered me. She put her finger on the sore point — my vanity — as she knew me.

You need someone you love to tell you that. Drinking was fun, but I cut back before it became a deadly habit.

Compared to my childhood, Mary’s background was unhappy. Her parents died young and her little brother was run over and died aged three. She was more or less on her own for a long time. She’s a stalwart, so to have had her as my partner through all this was a wise move. There’s a reason we’ve been married for 59 years.

Today, my sons live within a three-mile radius of us. We have eight grandchildren.

I hate to sound complacent, but I look back at my life and think: ‘You did OK.’ MICHAEL’S album, Our Kind Of Music, is out now.