The one lesson I’ve learned from life
BriTT EklAnd, 77, is an actress, former Bond girl and mother to three children: Victoria Sellers, 55, by the late Peter Sellers; nikolaj Adler, 46, by record producer lou Adler, and T. J. Mcdonnell, 31, by Stray Cats drummer James Mcdonnell. Single, she lives in lA and her native Sweden.
JUST GET ON WITH IT
No oNe ever gave me a blueprint for how to live my life. It was something I discovered for myself.
By the time I reached my mid-30s, I was a single mother with two children and having to cope as best I could. I woke up one day and I realised there was no point moaning about my lot.
Get on with it! That became my mantra. If I ever think something is too hard, if something seems impossible, I just roll up my sleeves and deal with it. In the end, it’s all down to you. And, luckily, I’m a very practical person.
That said, motherhood can be very demanding. I had my last child, a boy we call T. J., late in life, when I was 46.
My husband [James McDonnell] was almost 20 years younger than me. By the time I was 50, the age difference had taken its toll and we parted.
I moved to england where my son went to school. But I needed to earn money, so I’d tour in different plays. I had to leave him with a nanny. That was tough. But there wasn’t an another option.
That dilemma hasn’t changed much since I was grappling with it. The actress Tracy Shaw is currently appearing with me on the UK tour of a thriller called The Cat And The Canary, and finds it hard being away from her two young sons. We talk about this with tears in our eyes but, as we agree, you just have to get on with it.
People think that being an actress is so glamorous, but it means nothing if you can’t use it to earn a living. Being well-known doesn’t mean there aren’t bills to pay.
My philosophy also applies to the end of a relationship. If it’s over, for whatever reason, I just cut it out of my life. I never look back over my shoulder and never wish for something in the future. I live in the moment. I live for today.
Life has made me very strong, mentally speaking. But then that’s what comes from dealing with anything that’s thrown at you.
For tour details of The Cat And The Canary, go to kenwright.com