THE WISDOM THAT COMES WITH AGE

◗What she wishes she’d known at 30

‘That everything actually sorts itself out, although maybe not in the way you want it to. Things find their destination and you have very little control. They play themselves out and become what they were going to be anyway. I noticed this with my children when they were babies and they had that toy where a shape fits into the right hole. There’s the star and the circle and the square, you know? I’d sit with them and watch. It took ages and sometimes it was bloody boring, but eventually they’d get it. I think life’s a bit like that. Eventually things do work themselves out.’

◗On mellowing

‘I don’t try to control things or change outcomes as much as I used to. I think what will be, will be. After I had children I became terrified of flying for some stupid reason, but now I think, “Josie, if the fucking plane crashes, then so be it. Just get over it and get on the fucking plane.”’

◗Who she’d invite to her 80th birthday party

‘I’m a bit starstruck on Mohammed Ali, so I’d have him there. I like boxing, and I loved his banter and his intelligence. I enjoyed seeing his growth as a boxer during his career. I’d invite Jacques Cousteau because I really admire the work he did and the films he made. I’ve always loved the ocean. When I was a kid I wanted to be a marine biologist, but then I didn’t finish school so that was never going to happen. Then, I feel like inviting somebody who doesn’t really exist, like God or Jesus; I get the two mixed up. He or she could finally put everyone’s confusion to rest.’

◗On being labelled ‘Josie Borain, former Calvin Klein model’ in everything she’s done since the ’80s

‘I never really think about it. It’s not who I am. But it’s not a bad one as labels go. Not like shooting your girlfriend in a toilet, for example.’

◗On culinary tastes

‘All the men in our family are really good cooks, so I’m very lucky. I’ve always been quite adventurous in my eating, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve realised there are things I don’t like and that I don’t have to eat. Now, if I don’t like something I don’t touch it, like gooseberries and butternut. I don’t like sweet food. I don’t like the taste of alcohol, so I only drink occasionally. I love coffee; I’d say I am a bit of a coffee snob.’

◗On tattoos

‘Love tattoos! I’ve got only two. My daughter Willow has a lot. I’ve told her the one place she can never tattoo is her face or neck because she has the most beautiful skin. I think people can go too far, but if they’re done well, tattoos can be beautiful, like graffiti.’

◗On what children should be taught

‘I moved to Paris when I was about 18. Obviously, it was a foreign country; I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t speak the language. I rented an apartment and literally used to thank the universe every time the toilet flushed because if it had stopped working I wouldn’t have known what to do, how to fix it or who to call. I would have been completely stuck. We should be teaching kids how to survive, and I don’t mean with bank cards and computers, but with practical skills like plumbing and planting vegetables; how to survive in snow and that kind of stuff. One of the things about moving to the country is that you have to know how to do things, which is why I love farmers. They can always make a plan to fix something, even if they have to use, like, a stocking.’

◗On earthly happiness

‘I’d take that down a level to contentment. I think it’s yin and yang, so if you strive for happiness you also have to experience the opposite to know what happiness is. I think achieving contentment is a way to establish a balance. I’d rather aim for a restful, non-anxiety-ridden life… I don’t have any of this, by the way; I’m just saying it would be nice! So yeah, contentment is the goal, even if it might sound a bit boring.’

◗On the environment

‘Mother Nature is stronger than we are, and I think she will sort herself out. She’ll survive even if we don’t. I came across coverage of the Met Gala on IG and I watched a bit of it. It’s just so sad that that’s what some people aspire to. They are so removed from reality. The excess of it all, the huge waste, is just unbelievable. But there are a lot of things we can still do to help the environment. For instance, using human waste. Yes, I mean poop. See? I’m back to toilets. But seriously, it’s a huge commodity that we’re just throwing away. It could be used to make domestic bio-gas, to regenerate arid soils… lots of uses. I’d like to see something done around that on a mass scale.’

◗On how she’d like to be remembered

‘I hope my family will remember me, and especially my grandchildren, if I get to meet them, as a really awesome, cool granny who let them be completely themselves around me.’ ❖