‘I feel troubled by everything – the world seems hopeless’

Comedy genius Dawn French on ruffling some feathers with her new book Enough and why she’s not afraid of what anyone thinks of her

- WORDS: SHELLEY SPADONI

We’re accustomed to Dawn French, the grande dame of British comedy, making us chuckle over the years in shows like The Vicar Of Dibley. But there are times when she touches on the difficult stuff too, and that is certainly the case with her moving fifth novel, Enough, in which she tackles decidedly more heavy-hitting topics, which she admits “frighten her”.

Speaking emotionally about what motivated her to write her latest tome, the 65-year-old tells Good Housekeeping UK, “It was writing about something that would frighten me. The idea of getting older, of being vulnerable, of no longer being independent – those things are all daunting.”

One thing the mum-of-one does embrace about getting older is the freedom that she has found comes with it, especially when it comes to setting boundaries. She explains, “You learn to say no – and you really need to say no. You don’t have to people-please quite so much any more.”

But as she tells Good Housekeeping UK, she thinks it’s a lot harder for younger women, who face a myriad of pressures in today’s society.