"We Love The NHS Because It's Ours"

As she stars in the moving film Allelujah, Jennifer Saunders has her own gentle way of coping with the advancing years

- SUE CRAWFORD

Some people try to combat growing older by taking up tough exercise regimes or following strict healthy diets, but Jennifer Saunders has come up with a less orthodox, far gentler way of easing herself into her advancing years.

The popular actress and comedian believes that stress is "the most ageing thing" and as a result tries to start every day as calmly as she can.

"As you get older, everything becomes a bit more of a trial," she says by way of explanation. "So, you can't be too hard on yourself.

"Don't seize the day; ease into it gently with a cup of coffee and Wordle in a warm bed. You've got to enjoy life!"

Certainly, Jennifer is doing just that, with a career that continues to go from strength to strength. Most people know her best for her hilarious comedy in the hit TV series Absolutely Fabulous, the sketch show French And Saunders and the WI comedy drama series Jam & Jerusalem.

Yet she is also an accomplished film actress, with award-winning voice- over parts in Shrek 2, Minions and Coraline and a starring role in 2022's Death On The Nile.

Her latest film however is much closer to home and sees her playing no-nonsense nurse Sister Gilpin in Allelujah, a warm, humorous and deeply moving new British film, set in the geriatric ward of a small Yorkshire hospital which is threatened with closure.

Celebrating the spirit of the elderly patients and the hard work and humanity of the medical staff battling to look after them with limited resources, the film speaks to the debt we owe to the National Health Service as it marks its 75th anniversary.