NOT MY FAVOURITE
Colman movie missed opportunity to celebrate real lesbian love, says Sandi
GREAT British Bake Off’s Sandi Toksvig has blasted Olivia Colman hit The Favourite for failing to bring true lesbian love to the big screen.
In the comedy drama Queen Anne – played by Oscar-winner Olivia, 45 – seduces two female courtiers who compete for her affections. But Sandi, 60, said: “I still haven’t seen the lesbian love story – that relationship where two people adore each other, love each other, support each other. I still think that story needs to be told. I get so mad, I got really mad at The Favourite.”
She added: “There are lots of stories that need to be told, they’re important. My wife and I have been married 13 years and I love her more every day.”
When Sandi came out as gay in 1994 she faced death threats, spending two weeks in hiding with her partner and their three children. But she said when Channel 4 recently asked her to take part in an item on coming out stories, bosses urged her to be more “upbeat”.
Speaking with Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, 44 – Olympic diver Tom Daley’s husband – at The Devonshire Club, Sandi said: “I made a little statement about my coming out.
“I said [to them], it’s not a very upbeat story. And they said, ‘Oh, can you think of something more upbeat?’
“But it’s important we tell the dark side of what has happened to all of us.
“We need more discussions around the trans community. We’ll never understand where someone is coming from unless we have these conversations.”
Sandi also hopes her presenting role on Bake Off helps other lesbians.
She said: “I like to think somewhere there’s the young girl watching with her family who is able to say, ‘See that woman there? I’m like her.”
halina.watts@mirror.co.uk