Samantha Fox: “I have a family now – my life is complete”
Former glamour model and singer Samantha Fox talks about finding love after the death of her soulmate, her anti-ageing secrets and why she’s stripping off for the first time in 20 years
She became an iconic Page 3 pin-up aged just 16, has sold 30 million records worldwide and, at 52, still performs up to 60 concerts a year for her legions of adoring fans.
But behind her incredible success and bubbly persona, Samantha Fox endured devastating heartbreak after losing her partner and manager of 16 years, Myra Stratton, to cancer in 2015.
A DARK TIME
Now, four years on from her darkest time, the star reveals her life finally feels “complete” now she’s found love again with Norwegian Linda Olsen, who has two teenage sons.
“Losing Myra was the most difficult time of my life – and something I wasn’t expecting at all,” admits Sam. “I feel so happy that I have Linda. I’ve got a wonderful girlfriend and two lovely boys. I have a family now, my life feels complete.”
Sam nursed Myra, 60, through her two- year battle with terminal cancer.
“Myra was so amazing through it all,” she says. “At times, I found it hard to hold it all together. The last thing I wanted was for Myra to see me upset. I had to be strong for her and make her last days on earth as special as they could be.”
Myra encouraged Sam to make her life as full as possible after she was gone, urging her to write her hit autobiography, Forever, to go on Celebrity Big Brother and, perhaps most poignantly, to find love again.
Sam says, “I did still feel guilty after I met Linda – even though Myra had told me many times that she wanted me to find someone else afterwards. Myra loved me that much, she just wanted me to be happy and for someone to look after me.”
There’s no doubt Sam has found happiness again with Linda – who relocated from Norway to London with her twin 17-year-old sons, Noah and Adam, to set up home with Sam in Essex.
“Linda and I make each other laugh and we love the same things,” says Sam, who reveals Linda grew up listening to her music and was already a fan when the couple started dating in 2016. “Linda is always so happy and positive. I can be a bit of a perfectionist, but she settles me down – and I need that.” And Sam says she adores Linda’s sons. She reveals, “They are great boys. I don’t feel I need to worry about them every time they walk out the door – they’ve been brought up well.”
SHOCKWAVES
But talking so openly about relationships – specifically her sexuality – hasn’t always been easy for Sam. In 2003, she caused shockwaves when she announced her relationship with Myra, and admits she kept her sexuality hidden for years.
“I just wanted to be happy and live the truth,” says Sam. “I think it would be a lot easier today. But there are still people scared to come out – people must not believe it’s wrong.”
A Page 3 sensation at 16, Sam quit modelling at 20 to pursue a music career. But after decades of turning down requests to go back to glamour modelling, this year Sam is set to release her first calendar in over 20 years – though she insists there won’t be a nipple in sight.
“These boobies have gone into hibernation!” she laughs. “I’ll wear lingerie,
but I wanted to show you can still look good in your 50s. Hopefully it will be inspirational to older women.”
YOUTHFUL LOOKS
Sam maintains her enviable size 10-12 figure with regular workouts and a balanced diet – although she credits her youthful looks to family, saying, “My mum looks incredible for 72, so I think I’ve inherited her genes!”
She refuses to go under the knife to hold back the years, but admits she had a noninvasive jaw and chin lift procedure – known as a “Strawberry Lift” – after spotting a “double chin” on Loose Women last year.
“When I saw myself on TV, I thought ‘Oh dear!’” laughs Sam. “I looked into what I could do and heard about the Strawberry Lift [a non-invasive laser lipo]. The results are amazing and my mum and girlfriend have even had it.”
But she insists, “Plastic surgery is not for me. Women like [actresses] Melanie Griffiths and Meg Ryan used to be so pretty, but they look so different now because of too much surgery. I don’t want that happening to me.” Meanwhile, Sam says she is looking to scale down touring and retire from performing in a few years. And despite the pain of the past, she’s ready for what the future might bring. She says, “I’ve had my ups and downs – but I feel I’ve come out the other end a stronger person.”
‘Plastic surgery is not for me’