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‘Playing a cad’s not all bad!’

Nigel Havers, back in Corrie as charming charlatan Lewis archer, chats about life on the Street and the real love of his life

by Alison James

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Nigel is full of praise for Corrie co-star Sue Nicholls

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e looks good on screen but in person Nigel Havers is even more handsome.

Slim, trim, suave and debonair, he could easily pass for 50 rather than the 60 years he actually is. With such attributes, it’s little wonder that he’s made the role of the ‘charmer’ his own.

But where the characters he’s played – Ralph Gorse in 80s ITV drama The Charmer, Terry in BBC2 comedy drama Man Child, Lord Hepworth in Downton Abbey and indeed Corrie’s Lewis – are all ‘charming bar-stewards’ as Nigel refers to them, in real life Nigel himself is no ‘player’. He is head-over-heels with love with his third wife, Georgiana. They’ve been married for five years and got together after Nigel’s second wife, Polly, died of cancer in 2004.

Georgiana, a friend of Polly’s, had helped Nigel nurse her during her long illness. “Spending time with my lovely wife is how I relax,” he says. “Some men can’t wait to get away from their wives – not me.

George is gorgeous.”

Havers’ hall of fame – (clockwise) in Nicholas Nickleby; Chariots of Fire; A Passage to India and as the biggest double dealer in The Charmer

George is also delighted that Nigel has returned to Coronation Street.“She loves the Street,” he reveals. “So does my mum – oh Mum couldn’t be more pleased I’m back in it. She’s over the moon, in fact. If you’re reading this, I’m doing it for you, Mum! Coronation Street’s one of her favourite programmes.”

And is it a favourite of daughter, Kate, his only child, now 33, and the product of his first marriage which ended in divorce? “I don’t know – I haven’t asked her actually,” says Nigel.

“As a producer of TV commercials, she travels a lot and works irregular hours. I am extremely proud of her and love her very much. That goes without saying.”

Certainly we viewers are glad that Nigel – or rather Lewis – is back. But it remains to be seen whether Audrey is. “Lewis still cares deeply for Audrey,” explains Nigel. “He’s been feeling terrible because he did the dirty on her and he wants to make amends.”

Hmmm – does he really? “I think so,” twinkles Nigel. “The problem is that when you’re a brilliant liar like Lewis, no one believes you when you’re telling the truth. I think he really does feel bad about what he did, though. The only redeeming thing is that he didn’t take her money when he did a runner – he easily could have. He wants Audrey to forgive him. In an ideal world, maybe forgive him enough to give him a second chance. She’s the woman for him – she’s charming

‘The worse Ralph got in The Charmer the more people liked him!’ and honest and she mothers him to a certain extent which it seems he needs.”

How does Nigel feel about playing a charming ‘bar steward’ yet again? “I have played other roles, too,” he smiles. “In 40 years, I’ve had quite a varied career but I guess I’m known for playing a ‘cad’. I don’t mind playing a smooth talker again.

Rex Harrison built an entire career on it! It’s great drama and adds another level. Back in the 80s when I made The Charmer, I did have a few qualms about playing Ralph because he was seriously horrible. He killed people! But both the programme and the character were extremely popular. The worse he got, the

more people seemed to like him.

Certainly the reaction to Lewis has never been bad. The worst comment I received last time was along the lines of ‘You’re so naughty!’ Or ‘Hey, you’re that nasty bloke off Coronation Street’ from younger people. That was rather a novelty for me – having youngsters know who I am. That hasn’t happened in years.”

Nigel isn’t saying how long he’ll be on the Street, but the rumour is it’s for several months. “I just love it. I had such fun the last time I was here. It is the most fantastic place to work – everyone is lovely. I’m great friends with Sue Nicholls, who plays Audrey, and it’s wonderful to be working with her again. We spoke regularly during the time I was away from the Street. She’s one of the best and nicest leading ladies I’ve ever had the privilege to work with.”

Ooh such a charmer is our Nige!

He’s due back on set in a minute but one last question. How does he stay looking so darned youthful?

“I suppose I’ve been blessed with good genes,” he replies. “But I also look after myself. I have to. I’ve always regarded it as part of the job. I’m fortunate in that I don’t have many vices. I don’t smoke, don’t drink much and I eat very healthily – lean meat, fish and lots of fruit and vegetables. I sleep well and like to get eight hours a night. And I run a lot. I like to do four or five miles most days of the week. I also do some weights at the gym. I take a cocktail of vitamins and supplements every day but I’ve no idea what they are – my darling wife dispenses them to me every morning.”

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y star chat y

By Alison James s we go to press, Meryl Streep is the hot favourite to win the Oscar for Best Actress for her incredible performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Not bad for a woman who’ll be 63 next birthday.

Hollywood may have the reputation of ignoring women once they reach a certain age but a look back at Academy Award statistics would seem to disprove this. Take Meryl, for instance. The actress, director Mike Nichols believes, ‘broke the glass ceiling of an older woman becoming a big star’ and since turning 60 in May 2009, she’s won more awards for her acting than she can possibly have space on her mantelpiece for.

In 2010 she bagged a muchcoveted Golden Globe award for her portrayal of 1950s’ American cook Julia Child in the film Julie and Julia, beating off competition from the likes of the much younger Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock and Marianne Cotillard and also... herself! She had a second Globe nomination for the film It’s Complicated. There were further nominations for Julie and Julia for both an Oscar and a BAFTA. Meryl has already been awarded the Golden Globe for The Iron Lady – in addition to a string of other gongs – and there’s surely no dramatic justice if she doesn’t walk away with the Oscar and the BAFTA, too. But then she does have some tough competition in the form of

A

Meryl Streep, aged 62, has won huge acclaim for The Iron Lady

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HELEN MIRREN: Aged 62, won a Best Actress Oscar for her moving portrayal of her majesty in The Queen KATHARINE HEPBURN: Won three Oscars aged 60, 61 and 72 – the last one for On Golden Pond with Henry Fonda...

INGRID BERGMAN: Winner of an Oscar aged 60 for Murder on the Orient Express, pictured above

Glenn Close (64), who, in the film Albert Hobbs, plays a woman in 19th century Ireland posing as a man in order to get work.

Ms Streep is hardly an exception to this phenomenon of 60-plus success at the Oscars and other prestigious award ceremonies. Our own Dame Helen Mirren was 62 when she won an Oscar (and the Golden Globe, the BAFTA and 15 other awards) for playing Elizabeth II in The Queen in 2007. “It was, quite simply, the most thrilling moment,” she said.

“Unlike any other.” Helen was also nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar

in 2011 for her portrayal of Madame Tolstoy in The Last Station.

And then there’s Dame Judi Dench (77). Such was the brilliance of her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the film Shakespeare in Love that her appearance – lasting less than eight minutes – saw her being awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1998, aged 64. There have been further Oscar nominations since this triumph– namely for Iris in 2001, Mrs Henderson Presents in 2005 and Notes on a Scandal in 2006.

While these fine actresses have

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OSCAR trivia… ✤ The only performers ever to refuse an

JESSICA TANDY: Was 80 when she won for Driving Miss Daisy.

Pictured above with Morgan Freeman in the film

won, or been nominated for Oscars relatively recently, it’s not a new trend for women of 60 plus to bag a coveted statuette. In 1967 and 1968, Katharine Hepburn won The Best Actress Academy Award two years running for her performances in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and The Lion in Winter, respectively. The late, great Kate was then aged 60 and 61 respectively! She went on to win her fourth Oscar for On Golden Pond (she’d won her first for ‘Morning Glory in 1933) in 1981, aged 72. Not that La Hepburn is the most senior

actress ever to win the Best Actress Oscar. That honour goes to British-born actress Jessica Tandy for Driving Miss Daisy in 1990, when she was 80 years and eight months old. “I am on cloud nine!” she said in her acceptance speech.

In 1975, Ingrid Bergman won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in Murder on the Orient Express aged 60. Nine years later Dame Peggy Ashcroft followed suite for A Passage to India aged 76.

So what is it about the Oscars and older actresses? How come they are still able to triumph

in an industry famous for its fawning adoration of youth?

“There is a quality of soul in older actresses that shines through,” says respected theatre critic Michael Billington. We’ll second that.

The Best Actress AND FINALLY... Oscar may be cursed! 60 per cent of winners have got divorced sometime after receiving their award, including five out of the last 10 winners – Halle Berry, Hilary Swank, Reese Witherspoon, Kate Winslet, and Sandra Bullock.

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PICS: REX FEATURES; GETTY IMAGES; SCOPE; EMPICS/PA PHOTOS; ALAMY; THINKSTOCK

JUDI DENCH: Won her first Oscar aged 64 for playing Queen Elizabeth I – and she was only on screen for eight minutes!

Oscar are George C Scott, Best Actor for Patton (1970) and Marlon Brando, Best Actor for The Godfather (1972). Scott because he refused to be in competition with other actors and Brando because he objected to how Native Americans were depicted on film and TV. ✤ The longest film to win Best Picture is Gone With The Wind (1939) at 234 minutes and the shortest film is Marty (1955) at 91 minutes. ✤ From 1942 until the end of World War Two, Oscars were made out of plaster to conserve metal. After the war, the winners received “real” replacement statuettes.

Now they’re made of Britannium and are gold plated. ✤ The Academy Awards ceremony has been postponed three times: 1938, for one week due to floods; 1968, for two days for the funeral of the Rev Martin Luther King, Jr and 1981, for one day due to the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. ✤ The Oscars red carpet runs through a shopping mall. The home of the Academy Awards, the Kodak Theatre, is tucked away in the middle of the Hollywood and Highland Centre, just past an Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. ✤ In 1939 Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar (Best Supporting Actress) for playing Mammy in Gone With The Wind. Due to the virtual apartheid in the US at the time, she had to sit alone at a table near the kitchens. ✤ In 1996 the mould used for making the statuettes had worn out. The Academy decided on a new one which strengthened the Oscar’s neck and chiselled his chin. ✤ In 1931 the Acadamy Award was nick-named ‘Oscar’ by Margaret Herrick, an Academy librarian, who remarked it looked just like her uncle Oscar. ✤ In 2010 it was ruled that acceptance speeches should last no more than 45 seconds.

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Spring trends

(yes, you can wear them!)

If you think you just can’t get away with the latest fashion, then think again. We show you how you can look great in this season’s top designs…

By Michelle Nightingale

Brights Eye-popping colour palettes are sure to be everywhere this spring. If you don’t feel brave enough to wear head-to-toe colour, then team a brightly-coloured top with neutrals for a classic look, or play it safe with bold accessories.

Kathy wears: Mac, £35, 10-20, F&F at Tesco; blouse, £13, 8-18, George at Asda; trousers (with belt), £25, 10-20, Next; shoes, £29, 3-8, Marks & Spencer; earrings, £8, Next

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D Bag, £15, F&F at Tesco D Green jersey top, £12, 8-18, George at Asda D Stripey top, £16, 10-20, F&F at Tesco

Style

Lightweight cover-ups lightweight cover-ups are the perfect way to disguise wobbly arms and complete an outfit – plus the good news is they’re everywhere this year.

notes

Kathy wears: Jacket, £12, 8-18, George at Asda; top, £25, s-l, Apricot; trousers, £13, 8-18, George at Asda; necklace, £15, Marks & Spencer

D Beaded bolero, £39.50, 8-22, Per Una at Marks & Spencer D Cropped jacket, £59, 10-28, Isme D Stripey blazer, £28, 8-22, Next

Polka dots Eternally youthful, polka dots can be feminine without being sickly sweet. look for stylish blouses and fun accessories to brighten up your look.

Kathy wears: Polka dot top, £27, s-l, Apricot; skirt, £26, 10-20, Next; shoes, £24, 3-9, New look; bracelet, £8, Marks & Spencer

D Polka dot mac, £59, 10-28, Isme D Polka dot top, £29, 8-22, M&Co D Spot bow pump shoes, £25, 3-8, Marks & Spencer

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Get you n looking l A bit of lippy is the quickest way to update your look, but pick the wrong shade and instead of a youthful glow you could be adding on unnecessary years

By Michelle Nightingale

he right lip shade can really help you get back that youthful sparkle, but getting it correct can be tricky,” says beauty expert Teresa Fairminer (www.teresafairminer.com).

“Generally, when you get older less is more, but lipstick is an entirely different matter – just look at Helen Mirren. Her lips are always warm and sophisticated and, with a little guidance, you too could get an ageless pout.”

PICS: RUTH JENKINSON; REX FEATURES. PRICES CORRECT AT TIME OF GOING TO PRESS

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Preparation “Dry, flaky lips will add years, so it’s really worth taking the time to ensure they’re in tip-top condition,” says Teresa. “For younger looking lips, it’s essential to make sure you banish dry patches before applying lip colour.

If you don’t bother to do this on a regular basis any lipstick you apply will just seal in dryness, leaving your lips sore and unattractive.”

Teresa’s top tip is to dip a cotton bud into your normal daily moisturiser and run this all over your lips to help lift off dead and dry skin.

Apply a protecting lip balm regularly all year round to keep them well moisturised.

MUST-HAVE Simple Kind To Lips Essential Lip Balm SPF 15 (£2.49/5g) contains a blend of nourishing ingredients, including shea butter, glycerin and Pro-Vitamin B5, plus has built-in sun protection so is perfect for daily use.

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Lipstick-shop with confidence With so much choice, lipstick shopping can be overwhelming, but follow Teresa’s top tips and you’ll find your perfect shade in no time. ✤ Wear the colours you’d usually wear and choose lip shades to complement. ✤ Go armed with a lip brush, face wipes and a mirror. ✤ Try your chosen lipsticks on your hand first and then those you really like on your lips – always applying with the lip brush and not from the tube. ✤ Lip colours look slightly different on each of us, so apply, leave it for ten minutes and check you still like it before buying.

Don’t think you have to shy away from bold red lipsticks at 50-plus.

Look for creamy formulas and skip the gloss. Avoid red shades if you have yellow teeth, though.

TOP TIP

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u nger g lips today! ✤ PERFECT LIPS

✤ ANTI-AGEING LIP KIT Quick-fix gloss For a quick fix, we love Clinique’s Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Colour in Pink Me Up (£14/1.5ml)

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Fuller lips gloss

EASY STEPS

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Plumping Gloss (£9/7ml) is super-plumping for tingly lips.

Dust translucent TOP TIP face powder sparingly around your lip line to help stop your lipstick bleeding into any fine lines or feathering.

1

Use a lip liner – it will help your lipstick stay put and stop it creeping into fine lines and wrinkles. Choose a shade close to your natural lip colour, or one that matches your lipstick and line inside your lip line. Keep your look soft by smudging this line inwards. Leaving a harsh lip line will instantly add extra years.

For a natural look Try Bourjois Lip Pencil Lèvres Contour in Enjôleuse 11 (£4.99) and Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel Lipstick in Rose Innocence 11 (£7.99/3g), which is enriched with nourishing shea butter and magnolia oil to give eight hours of moisture.

2

Apply your lip colour straight from the tube over the top. A moisturising formula will last much longer than a gloss, plus is kinder to your lips. If you’re in a rush, however, a creamy gloss is a good quick fix.

Don’t forget to blend well into your lip line for a seamless finish.

For every day Bobbi Brown Lip Liner pencil in Rose 07 (£14.50/1g) and Bobbi Brown Rich Color SPF 12 in Rose Blossom (£18/3.8g), which has a lovely lightweight formula, rich colour and protecting SPF.

3

Very gently blot your lips with a tissue and finish with a dab of clear gloss in the centre of your bottom lip. This will give you a lovely glow and will help your lips look fuller.

Evening glamour Avon Anew YouthAwakening Lipstick Satin Finish in Berry Bloom (£10.50) is a super soft, grown-up red containing collagen and retinol to help smooth lines and wrinkles.

Stockists: Avon 0845 601 4040; Bobbi Brown 0870 034 2566; Bourjois 0800 269 836; Clinique 0870 034 2566; Simple 0121 712 6523; Soap & Glory 0845 070 8090

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Now visit www.yours.co.uk for lots more age-defying beauty advice

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Next issue: Younger looking eyes with our anti-ageing tips

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£6xx.95 £

BUDGET BEATERS Restaurant chain Giraffe is offering a £6.95 Express Lunch deal with drink, Mon to Friday 12-5pm. Choose from main courses including Falafel and Roasted Red Pepper Quesadilla and a Deli lunch burger. A burger and coke would usually cost £13.05, so you save £6.10 with this deal. For your nearest restaurant or to see a menu visit www.giraffe. net (or call 020 8457 2776).

Not available at Giraffe outlets in airports or on bank holidays.

| IT’S A FACT | Savers in southern England are squirrelling away 13 per cent more than those in northern regions. People in southern England have an average balance of £8,734 compared with £7,759 in northern areas. Make the most of your savings £7,759 with a taxfree ISA. Source: Halifax

Watching the

£8,734

pennies

Cash in the attic

Yours money saver Sea salt is no better for you than table salt, says CASH (Consensus Action on Salt & Health) research.

All types of salt contain roughly the same level of sodium chloride, so an excess can have the same harmful effect on health.

Tesco Table Salt is 36p per kg, whereas Cornish Sea Salt is £7.10 per kg, so switching brands saves £6.74 per kg.

Source: Which

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Our fascination with food increases with every new cookery programme, so it comes as no surprise that cookery books are popular collectors’ items. But just because a book is fairly old and a first edition, it does not necessarily mean it’s valuable. A top condition, first edition of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management can fetch more than £1,000, but you can pick up a later editions for around £20-40.

Modern recipe books also have the potential to rise in value in the future. A signed, first edition copy of Delia Smith’s How to Cook may cost around £40-60. Other writers to look out for include Mary Henderson and X M Boulestin.

This Mrs Beeton’s Every Day Cookery and Housekeeping Book, first edition, published by Ward Lock and Co, London, c1880 is valued at £55-75.

| IT’S A FACT | Pensioners will benefit from a boost to their basic State Pension from April as it goes up by last September’s Consumer Price Index of 5.2 per cent, an increase of £5.30 a week. This is the biggest increase since the State Pension was first introduced. Source: DWP

Ask Michael...

| DID YOU KNOW? |

The Yours money expert Michael Wilson answers your questions

86%

of pet owners consider their pet to be part of the family yet more than half have not taken out pet insurance. Millions of people could be left with sky-high vet bills if their animal were to become ill or injured, when basic pet insurance cover costs from as little as £2.12 a month. Source: Gocompare.com

Q

Best buy Stylish accessories website Ebuni is offering Yours readers the chance to buy this stunning daffodil brooch for £12 (usually £16.50) – perfect for spring. Plus get an exclusive 15 per cent off Ebuni’s range of jewellery and hair accessories. To claim your daffodil brooch discount, call 01623 858 999 or visit www. ebuni.com and use the code ‘daffodil’ at checkout before March 6, 2012. For 15 per cent off other items use the code ‘yours15’. Delivery is £2.

£12 GREENWATCH

Marks & Spencer has launched an exclusive technology that helps reduce food waste and means its strawberries stay fresh for longer. M&S is the first retailer to use the revolutionary ‘It’s Fresh’ strip inside its strawberry punnets that acts as an ethylene remover. Ethylene is the ripening hormone that causes fruit to ripen and turn mouldy. Trials carried out in stores showed a wastage saving during the peak strawberry season of

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around 40,000 packs, some 800,000 strawberries. The strawberries should taste good for longer as a result. The new punnets are in stores now, priced from £2.49 (225g).

Now visit www.yours.co.uk for more money-saving ideas

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Michael says: I have seen these articles as well. First of all, they don’t relate to the state pension; these stories address a particular problem with private and some occupational pensions.

Someone who takes out a private pension faces a number of choices that have to be made at retirement. Most, or all, of the pension fund must be used to purchase an annuity.

It is this annuity that then pays the monthly pension for life.

The basic rule is that, on death, the annuity payments come to an end. But that isn’t very helpful if there is a surviving spouse.

A couple should always arrange the annuity in joint names so that all, or part of, the pension will continue for the benefit of the survivor. Although taking this option will reduce the level of income that would be available for a single life, it does mean there is some remaining income for the survivor. It makes no sense at all to buy the annuity based on a single life unless the spouse has adequate means of their own.

The same rule applies if the personal pension is in the name of the woman – the annuity should continue for the benefit of any surviving husband. Phone 0800 531 6019 for a free Yours guide to pension annuities.

Next issue: Treat your feet with 20 per cent off at Brantano YOURS

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PICS: ALAMY; THINKSTOCK; MASTERFILE. WORDS: SARAH JAGGER

I have read some disturbing stories in the paper about women who have lost their entire pension following their husband’s death.

How can this be avoided?

y knitting y

Sweet in stripes This baby cardigan would look just as cute in blue for a boy!

MATERIALS

1(1:2) 50g balls Twilleys of Stamford Freedom Gorgeous 4 ply yarn in main shade 706 Blossom.

1(1:1) 50g balls Twilleys of Stamford Freedom Gorgeous 4 ply yarn in contrast shade 702 Orchid.

Pair each 2.75mm (UK12) and 3.25mm (UK10) knitting needles.

Stitch holders.

5 buttons.

Yarn quantities are based on average requirements when specified tension and yarn is used. Different yarn may be used but ensure tension of replacement yarn matches that stated in the pattern for best results.

TENSION

Always check tension carefully and adjust needle sizes throughout, if necessary.

28 sts and 36 rows = 10cm/4in square over stocking stitch using 3.25mm (UK10) needles or the size required to give the correct tension.

It is essential to work to the stated tension to ensure success.

ABBREVIATIONS

Alt – alternate; beg – beginning; cm – centimetres; C – contrast shade; dec – decrease(ing); foll – following; g – grammes; g-st – garter stitch (knit all rows); in – inch(es); inc – increase(ing); k – knit; M – main shade; mm – millimetres; 0 – no rows; p – purl; psso – pass slipped stitch over; RS – right side; slip 1 – slip one stitch; st(s) – stitch(es); st-st – stocking stitch (knit on right side rows, purl on wrong side rows); tbl – through back of loops; tog – together; WS – wrong side; yfwd – yarn forward.

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fOR KNITTERS wITh MORE ExpERIENCE

★★★

MEASUREMENTS NOTES Age 0-3 3-6 6-12 months To fit chest 41

46

51

cm

16

18

20

in

Actual measurement 44

50

1

1

56

cm

in 17 /2 19 /2 22 Length to back of neck (approximately) 23 27 32 cm 9

101/2 123/4

in

Sleeve seam (adjustable) 12 3

4 /4

15

19

cm

6

1

in

7 /2

Figures in brackets () refer to larger sizes (see measurements chart).

Where one set of figures is given this applies to all sizes. If a zero is given, this means you do not need to work these instructions.

Circle the size you wish to make before you start.

BACK

Using 2.75mm (UK12) needles and M cast on 62(70:78) sts.

G-st 6 rows.

Change to 3.25mm (UK10) needles.

Join in C. Starting with a knit row (RS), work in striped st-st (throughout) as follows:Using C, st-st 2 rows.

Using M, st-st 2 rows.

Continue until back measures 12(15:19)cm/4 ¾(6:7½)in, ending with a purl row.

Shape raglan armholes Cast off 3 sts at beg of next 2 rows. 56(64:72) sts.

Next row (RS) k1, sl 1, k1, psso, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.

Working all raglan decreases as set by last row, dec one stitch at each end of the 4th and foll 3(2:1) 4th rows, then