Frances Whiting

Well, you know, my favorite author is an author called Mary West and she's a British author, not that well known, but she wrote her first book at 72.

I would say you have to take off this straight jacket that you're wearing of what I should have done or what I could have done.

or what I am now not able to do, because the only person putting that on you is you.

You can just take off that straitjacket and do what you want to do.

And you know what?

Will it work?

I don't know.

You don't know.

But I know what doesn't work, which is wearing that bloody straitjacket and thwarting yourself at every turn.

I feel quite passionate about this because I think people are so hard on themselves.

Can't speak to the men, but I think women are really hard on themselves.

And, you know, for me, had I not had children, I would have been fine with that.

But, you know, having Tallulah, my daughter at 45, where they called me an elderly gravitas or some terrible – they give older mothers –

You know, I worried so much, but I was worrying because people, occasionally people would say to me, aren't you worried that when you're 61, she'll be in her last year of school?

Well, I am 61 and she is in her last year of school and we are having a blast.

There was no need to worry.

Yeah.

All those people need to put a zip in it.

You know, I remember, this is getting quite personal, but hopefully this discussion is something that someone might hear and think, yes, this has happened to me.

Or, you know, like many women, Sarah, you know, I have had a couple of miscarriages and I remember going back to work at the Courier Mail after a miscarriage and