Woman's Weekly (UK)

Samantha Bond

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From her role as miss moneypenny in four James Bond films to her portrayal of lady Rosamund in ItV’s Downton

Abbey, actress samantha Bond, 56, has delivered memorable performanc­es. here, she talks about life with her husband actor Alexander hanson and their two children, molly, 26, and tom, 25.

How do you take your tea?

I’m a real builder’s tea girl – a little bit of milk with no sugar – and preferably in the afternoon with The Guardian crossword.

Who would be your ideal guest for tea?

Leader of the British suffragett­e movement, Emmeline Pankhurst. She lived through the most extraordin­ary period of change and achieved votes for women 100 years ago. She must have been an amazing woman.

Why are you supporting Macmillan World’s Biggest Coffee Morning?

My mum died of bowel cancer in 2000, six months after her best friend did. My mum didn’t have a Macmillan nurse, but her friend did, and she died in her own house looking out at her two daughters standing in her garden – that’s an image that has never left me.

The support

Macmillan offers is phenomenal, and I’m proud to be associated with it.

Did you have any awful jobs before you started acting?

When I told my mum I was going to drama school, she said, ‘You can only do that if you do shorthand and typing first,’ which I did, and I got a temp job as a secretary at London Weekend Television. My shorthand and typing were terrible, but I actually quite enjoyed the job.

Do you get recognised a lot?

There are men in their 40s to whom I will always be Miss Moneypenny, and they get very dewy-eyed. Then there’s the lovely Downton Abbey lot, and the moments when people recognise me because

I did something called The Sarah Jane Adventures when they were 6. I don’t mind, but what’s weird is when someone talks about you as if you aren’t there.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

When my husband and I were about to get married, my mum said, ‘Be kind’. That’s incredibly important, not just in relationsh­ips, but in life in general.

What’s your greatest achievemen­t?

My children. They’re both actors now, too, and I’m happiest when I’m with them.

Is there anything left on

your bucket list?

I’d like to get to Australia, where I’ve got lots of friends and family, but I’m scared of planes, so it might take some time to get there!

By joining Macmillan’s Coffee Morning, Samantha is helping people with cancer live life as fully as they can. For further informatio­n, see coffee. macmillan.org.uk

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