A hit book about a high-flying 50-something who risks everything for sex with a stranger has been turned into a BBC series starring EmilyWatson. Here, the author reveals the unspoken truth about the female midlife crisis – and why the divorce rate among women over 55 is rising.
I am on a film set in Smithfield, east London. Emily Watson, Oscar-nominated screen star, is walking towards me with a smile. We are just two of a crowd of people in a grand building called Haberdashers’ Hall, where the most important scene of the BBC adaptation of my novel Apple Tree Yard is being filmed. The scene appears towards the end of episode one. The main character, Yvonne, played by Watson, is at a champagne-fuelled leaving do for the head of department of a university where she does some freelance work. Yvonne is a high-achieving, 50-something research scientist, with a husband and two grown-up children and a beautiful suburban home. At the beginning of this episode, she has been giving evidence at a House of Commons select committee on genetic engineering and has met an enigmatic stranger in a corridor, played with magnetic brilliance by Ben Chaplin. In a moment of recklessness that is completely out of character, she allows him to seduce her in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, beneath the Palace of Westminster, and they proceed to have what I believe is called a knee trembler. She doesn’t even know his name.
At this point in the story, the leaving do, she seems to be managing the two halves of her life – respectable middle-aged woman/erotic adventuress – quite well. She has disassociated one from the other. But something horrible is about to happen, something that will make her whole life spin out of control and lead to her being on trial at the Old Bailey for murder.I have turned up on set during a break in filming and walk into the hallway just as Watson is emerging from having her make-up retouched. She sashays towards me in her party frock and heels, and I fall down a rabbit hole.
This story is from the April 2017 edition of Fairlady.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2017 edition of Fairlady.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Easter with edge
Grant knows what it's like to miss out on the celebrations that anchor family life.
The MALE bias
Historically, medical studies were mainly done on male mice and on men; and then extrapolated to treat women, as if a female body were just a smaller version of a male one. Here’s why that doesn’t make sense, and how to work with your body’s natural rhythm for better health.
Wellbeing
How to sleep better, feel better and look better!
The other type of CHEATING
Lies about money can have devastating consequences in a relationship.
THE 'PEST' IN PESTICIDES
oe r Despite many highly Hs hazardous pesticides being banned in their countries of origin, 192 of them are still legally exported to South Africa
START A BUSINESS LIKE a Saffer
There's nothing quite like a South African entrepreneur. In the face of adversity, they innovate and persevere. But what fuels that determination? We chatted to some self-starters to find out.
How to take the MONOTONY OUT OF MONOGAMY
It's easy to get complacent in a long-term relationship. Before you know it, your partner is little more than your roommate. Here's how to shake things up.
SUPER TROUPER
At one point, Josie Borain was the most famous model in the world. Her face was on every magazine that mattered. And in the madness of all that attention, she never lost her sense of self. She talks to us about turning 60, being single, and starting her third act with a move to the platteland.
Little wonder
Over the years we have visited 16 Greek islands, but when we first set foot on Halki, the little-known gem just south of Rhodes, we knew we'd found the closest thing to the perfect one. And we vowed to return. Often.
HOME AFFAIRS
These three entrepreneurs are redefining the heartbeat of homes through their unique blend of creativity, sustainability and purposeful design.
