Life lessons: Sheila Ferguson
Three Degrees singer Sheila Ferguson (69) chats about how her stay in the BBC’s The Real Marigold Hotel changed her life
All relationships are about compromise
Not just romantic attachments, but how we operate with everyone else requires compromise. This was brought home to me while filming The Real Marigold Hotel in Kerala, India. I‘ve lived alone for eight years and I’m used to getting up when I like, eating when I like, going to bed when I like… As I was living with a group of others in India, I had to address that and I’m glad I did. It showed me how alone I’d been. People aren’t meant to be alone.
India has changed me
It’s made me appreciate things and people more. It’s also calmed me down and made me less manic and more chilled out. When I did panto after being in India, for instance, I didn’t throw a strop when things went wrong. No one could believe it, even my daughter Alex said, ‘Mummy you’ve changed.’ And thanks to being in India, I went on my first date in eight years!
Singing is natural
I’ve never had training and it comes from the soul. That may sound like a clichéd expression but to me, when a singer sings from the soul, it’s not precisely the notes they hit – it’s what happens between the notes. That’s real soul. It comes from passion and experience. So many singers these days are like clones of other people. You can’t do that and be special.
Possessions don’t make you happy
I live in a stunning mansion in Majorca but what’s the point of having all that when you’re alone and only using three rooms? I need to be around people so am moving back to the UK very soon.
You get nicer as you get older
Maybe you care less about yourself and more about other people. In The Real Marigold Hotel, we were all there for each other and we worried about each other. I can honestly say that we all got on very well. Even when we weren’t filming, we hung out together and enjoyed each other’s company in the evenings. Thank goodness for that, actually. If we hadn’t hit it off, it would have been hell!
We all need a bit of glitz and glamour
I dress normally in my daily life and don’t wear much make-up but I do enjoy dressing up when on stage. People who pay to see my shows expect to see me looking ‘Las Vegas gorgeous’. They’d be disappointed if I looked like someone they see every day in the supermarket!