The evolution of JUDY BAILEY We need to change the way we think

Having researched and written a new book celebrating ageing, our beloved columnist opens up to writer Emma Clifton about her greatest fears, trying Botox, going grey, her untold 50-year love story and why we all need to learn to embrace getting older.

-  CAMILLA

As you grow older, you might start to notice that the majority of the available advice highlights just part of the ageing process. Whether it’s what to wear, skincare recommendations or information on staying active, all too often it falls under a headline like, “What to do in your thirties, forties and fifties.”

But what happens after that? With the average female life expectancy now at 83 years, that leaves three decades of a life still left to live – a life still filled with curiosity, change and adventure, if you’re lucky.

It’s a topic that has long been of great interest to broadcaster Judy Bailey, who is in her early seventies and found there was a tremendous amount of uncharted territory to cover. So when she was approached to write the book Evolving: Finding Health & Happiness as We Age, Judy says the offer was serendipitous and she leapt at the chance to dive deep into the research.

“I’m curious about how to age well,” The Weekly columnist shares. “People are always telling you that old age isn’t for sissies and that it’s a minefield, with so many challenges to face. And that’s true – it’s a time when there’s an awful lot of change going on. So I thought, ‘Forewarned is forearmed!’”

Sitting in the sun-filled lounge of her Auckland home, Judy laughs that she is “not terribly good with change”. She met husband Chris Bailey in 1971 and they bought the house we’re sitting in during the late ’70s. She started in regional news at 18 and her career as a journalist expands 50 years. But growing older is an experience that comes hand in hand with change. “I wanted to help people navigate this minefield of ageing – and I wanted to help myself at the same time help myself at the same