It seems like only yesterday that the papers were full of that notorious police drugs raid involving the Rolling Stones and Marianne Faithfull. The press went to town, vilified Marianne - and a completely fictitous story about a Mars bar continued to circulate for decades. (To find out just how fictitious, read Marianne’s excellent autobiography.)
But times have changed and now the papers are a little gentler - because Marianne Faithfull has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite the fact that this disease affects millions of women every year, it’s still a shock to hear that someone in the public eye is now having to come to terms with this particularly unwelcome diagnosis.
For my generation – and I’m the same age as Marianne – this woman has always been something of an icon. She’s feisty, fabulous and painfully honest. And she has absolutely none of the delusions of grandeur that seem to go hand in hand with being a star. If you haven’t read Faithfull: An Autobiography, get hold of a copy ASAP and you’ll see what I mean.
Marianne, we wish you well and may gutsiness and good medical care see you through. We want you around for a long time to come.
Comments