06/09/2025
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The amazing Patricia Routledge, best remembered as Hyacinth Bucket in the classic BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, has spoken openly about her long life in a moving podcast conversation.
Now aged 97, she reflected on her decades in the spotlight, her more recent hobbies, and shared thoughtful words of encouragement for those who may be anxious about ageing.
Patricia told Jay Speaks:
“My life didn’t quite take shape until my forties. I had worked steadily—on provincial stages, in radio plays, in West End productions—but I often felt adrift, as though I was searching for a home within myself that I hadn’t quite found.”
“At 50, I accepted the role of Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances. I thought it would be a small part in a little series. I never imagined that it would take me into people’s living rooms and hearts around the world.”
In her sixties, Patricia began learning Italian so she could sing opera in its original language. At 70, she made a return to the Shakespearean stage, something she had once thought was behind her.
During her eighties, she discovered a love for watercolour painting, creating flowers from her garden and portraits inspired by faces she recalled from her years travelling on the London Underground.
Now in her nineties, she cherishes the simple joys of life, saying she enjoys handwriting letters and treasures “the quiet.”
“I’m learning to bake rye bread. I still breathe deeply every morning. I still adore laughter – though I no longer try to make anyone laugh. I love the quiet more than ever.”
“I am writing this to tell you something simple: Growing older is not the closing act. It can be the most exquisite chapter – if you let yourself bloom again.
Let these years ahead be your treasure years. You don’t need to be famous. You don’t need to be flawless. You only need to show up – fully – for the life that is still yours.”
Absolutely brilliant from Dame Patricia 👏🏻
