I haven’t had a holiday for 22 years because I can’t bear leaving my dogs, says Jilly
‘I don’t want to go away’
ANYONE who dedicates their CBE to their dog is obviously barking about their pet.
But Jilly Cooper is so reluctant to be parted from hers she hasn’t taken a holiday in abroad in years. The author, who has owned a string of dogs, says her attachment to them means she has not been away for 20 years.
For the last eight years she’s missed out on a foreign jaunt because she cannot bear to leave behind her beloved rescue grey-awarded hound, Bluebell. The 81-year-old has had the dog since 2010 and has described her as her ‘dearest companion’ since the death of her husband five years ago.
She told Woman & Home magazine: ‘I haven’t been on holiday for about 22 years – it’s ridiculous but I can’t bear to leave Bluebell. But Gloucestershire is so beautiful in the summer, I don’t want to go away.’
The best-selling author, who has used storylines to highlight the issue of animal abuse, was a CBE last year for her services to literature and animal welfare. After receiving the gong she dedicated it to her beloved greyhound, saying the honour made her a ‘Commander of Bluebell’s Empire’.
Miss Cooper has spoken often of her close relationship with Bluebell. She once said having a dog stops her ‘reaching for the gin’. She added: ‘Bluebell adores sharing my bed. I’m sure my housekeeper thinks I have a secret lover.’
The dog also ‘sulked’ after the author returned from hospital after a hip operation. ‘When I came back, she welcomed me warmly — but then went off into a corner and wouldn’t speak to me for at least three days,’ said Miss Cooper. Bluebell even got a cameo in her novel, Mount! The author said: ‘Once, I went out for a walk with Bluebell and realised I’d left her lead behind, so had to take off my bra behind the hedge to lead her — that went straight into Mount!’