EDITOR’S LETTER
Family – our sagest advisers, biggest cheerleaders, those who know us most truly and love us most fiercely – are at the heart of April’s Red. It’s a celebration of all of our raison d’être.
My own fairly newly-formed family of a husband and two kids is a bit traditional, but my wider clan is a less conventional melting pot of step parents, gay parents and a mixture of cultures and religions, so I know first-hand that family comes in many glorious forms. And some of the most special pieces in the issue shine a spotlight on those unique relationships. From actor Greg Wise’s heartbreaking memoir on page 60 as he reflects on the final months of his sister Clare’s life, to blogger Natalie Lee’s brave and beautiful letter on page 62 to her eight-year-old daughter Alexa, who is losing her sight, to Will Young debating solo parenting on page 68, to writer Elisa Roche’s ode to friends, neighbours (and Jamie Oliver), on page 67 – her own curated tribe.
Our gorgeous cover star, actor Keeley Hawes, is no stranger to the joys and complexities of modern family, either. On page 48, she talks to Elizabeth Day about staying best friends with her ex-husband (who still lives down the street), as well as her affection for her on-screen kids, or as she calls them, her ‘fake family’!
Elsewhere in the issue (and not family-related whatsoever!), you’ll find the most divine Parisian beauty tips on page 139, a profusion of new-season stripes on page 93, and a delicious Easter lunch menu on page 108 (plus, some irresistibly chic chocolate eggs on page 119).
Finally, this month I’ve joined the Hearst Magazines’ running club (see The Power Of The Pack on page 166), and I’m surprised at how happy it has made me – but I shouldn’t be: a new report reveals that, aside from fitness benefits, group exercise participants also showed a 12.6% gain in mental wellbeing and a 26.2% reduction in stress levels. You see, that’s the thing about family. It isn’t always just the people who brought you into the world, it’s the ones that make you happy to be here. Because belonging to a tribe doesn’t just root you, it also gives you wings.