I first met my husband when I was 15. He was very cool, in a band, all that kind of thing, but he took a long time to grow up. Our paths crossed again 10 years later, and after about two weeks I knew that was it. I’m glad I met him when I did, even though I was fairly young. Because I think sometimes you can crystallise into singledom. Natascha McElhone Read Quote
Growing up, I wasn’t allowed dolls, and my brothers weren’t allowed guns. I inherited my brothers’ clothes. I was never dressed in pink, and they were never dressed in blue; there were none of those rules that people still bizarrely subscribe to. Natascha McElhone Read Quote
I grew up with my stepfather in Brighton, but I did spend a lot of time with my natural father, and I was loved by both, so I suppose the advantage of this was that I wasn’t bound by one set of experiences; I always had an alternative. Natascha McElhone Read Quote
I don’t believe in categorising a gender, as it makes for discord. People always say, ‘That’s what men are like’ or, ‘That’s what women do’; I don’t really feel that at all. I think that’s because I have two fathers, three brothers, a husband and two sons. I’m surrounded by maleness, and I couldn’t possibly summarise them into a type. Natascha McElhone Read Quote
My stepfather introduced me to The London Library when I was about 18; the clientele has definitely changed since then, but it is still a wonderful oasis in the middle of London. Natascha McElhone Read Quote
I’m very different to my mum. I’m not as beautiful as she is, nor – she probably despairs about this – as groomed. I certainly rebelled against her idea of looking well turned-out. I spent several years with a shaved head in jeans and baggy shirts. Natascha McElhone Read Quote
My granny was very concerned that we weren’t baptised – Mum had been desperate to escape her own Catholic upbringing. But Granny thought we were blighted. Whenever we turned up at her house, she would flick holy water – from the font she kept by the door – over us, in the hope that it would save us from damnation. Natascha McElhone Read Quote
My grandparents never understood why my mother Noreen chose such exotic names for her children: Damon and me. My granny insisted on calling my brother Dermot – a good Irish name – until she died; I was just known as ‘wee one.’ Natascha McElhone Read Quote
My kids always say to me, ‘Can we watch TV?’ I say, ‘Absolutely!’ because then I can get something done. But then they say, and I wait for it, ‘But can you watch with us?’ My moment of freedom vanishes. So not only do I not think TV’s that great and I hate sitting in front of it, but I have to with them. Natascha McElhone Read Quote
I feel awful for women who are trying to raise kids on their own, with zero income and no fathers present – that’s single motherhood. Natascha McElhone Read Quote
