‘You can’t defend that!’ Joanna Lumley weighs in on debate over tearing down statues | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV
Joanna Lumley, 75, has spoken out with her thoughts on people tearing down statues of historical figures. In a new interview with Radio Times, the actress revealed that she doesn’t support their actions.
The 75-year-old had strong feelings about the debate around the toppling of UK statues.
When asked about her thoughts, Joanna commented: “All our ancestors were linked with something, so you can’t suddenly go, ‘But I don’t do that’.”
She added: “If you eat sugar, you’re probably eating sugar that came from sugar factories that were worked by slaves, and so it goes round and round.
“Lots of things were obviously reprehensible, the slave trade being one; you can’t defend that.
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“But there are different things that were done in the past which we can’t change.
“We don’t do them now because we wouldn’t.”
Joanna, who is hosting a new three-part ITV documentary series Great Cities of the World, where she explores the magnificent cities of Berlin, Paris and Rome, said: “So, I don’t know how much of the past you can smash up without finding that the wrecking ball has come very close to your own house.”
Joanna, who is also a campaigner, said: “It comes as a complete and unexpected surprise and is the kindest and most beautiful present imaginable.”
She also received the BAFTA TV Fellowship in 2017.
With a career spanning over five decades, Joanna has appeared in everything from Ab Fab to Coronation Street.
Ab Fab, which also starred co-writer and creator Jennifer Saunders, originally ran between 1992 and 1996 and again from 2001 to 2004. A movie based on the popular show was released in 2016.
