Huge popular actress June Whitfield 'proud' about honour
Absolutely Fabulous star June Whitfield has spoken of her pride in being made a dame.
The star was given the honour by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace for services to drama and entertainment.
Dame June told the Press Association: “It’s absolutely remarkable. One feels so honoured and proud. It takes a lot of getting used to.”
Perhaps best known for her role as the mother of Jennifer Saunders’s hedonistic Edina in Absolutely Fabulous, Dame June also became the regular voice of Agatha Christie’s beloved Miss Marple on BBC Radio 4 throughout the 1990s.
The 92-year-old, who has had a career spanning seven decades, said she was “still going, or just about”.
When asked about any future career plans she said: “It just depends, I think I’m now more suitable for a role that takes place in bed or in a wheelchair or something so there’s not too much walking about.”
The former Carry On films actress landed her first lead role for radio in the early 1950s, before becoming a regular feature on British television in comedy series such as Last Of The Summer Wine and The Green Green Grass.
She said she had seen “a lot of change” in the course of her long career, notably that now “it’s so much more about money.”
The new dame said Charles told her the honour “was a long time coming”.
She said the prince had to “step down to get to my height to put the thing on”.
