An audience with Ursula Andress

By Tony Watts - Editor - 31/10/2008

When campaigners went looking for an international figurehead to increase awareness of the need for women to ‘look after their bones’, they chose wisely. I’m in Brussels, one of a packed theatre of journalists, camera crews and radio broadcasters from all over Europe, all happy to promote the ‘Timeless Women’ campaign simply to have their ten minutes with Ursula Andress. She may not be making blockbuster movies any more, but she is still good box office.

 

“This is a really important cause,” she says, “and it can affect anyone – one in three women and one in five men. I know because eight or ten years ago I found out that I too had it. I have a general check up every year but I was totally ignorant about it. It would never happen to me – I’m active, I go swimming, riding, walking. I’m go, go, go.

 

“But the doctor found that I had low bone density in my hips and explained that you can do everything and one day you will fall down and break something.”

 

And that is the problem for the 200 million people believed to be suffering from osteoporosis around the world. It is the ubiquitous, silent disease and the first ‘symptom’ is – all too often – a fractured or broken bone, typically a vertebra or hip. The tragedy is that one person in five who does break a hip will end up dying as a result of that fracture. Many more end up losing their independence. This is, as the conference made clear, a disease that deserves to be given far more attention by the public and governments.

 

As Ursula says with disarming self-deprecation, she is also exactly the sort of person who needs educating about the disease, its treatment and prevention. And yes, a great deal can be done when it is diagnosed. “I’m the worst pill taker in the world,” she admits. “I always forget. I thought I could help the condition and brought a suitcase full of calcium tablets back from the USA – not realising that taking too many could be dangerous too.

 

“Age brings some very strange surprises,” she says. “It silently comes and steals the health of your bones. I want to be healthy because I am very active; I would be miserable staying in bed.  I would also be embarrassed and uneasy if someone else had to take care of me.

 

“If I cannot be active, I want to go.”

 

The advice dispensed by the experts at the conference was simple: if you think you may be at risk, ask your doctor for a bone density screening. Certainly if you are post menopausal the risks are increased, and other factors such as drinking, smoking, yo-yo dieting and being very light during your life will also increase the risk. The condition is often genetically shared as well, so if relations have had the disease, your chances are significantly increased.

 

But if you are diagnosed as having a low bone density, there is a wide choice of treatments available. It is also critical to choose one that’s right for you: missing medications radically reduces efficacy. Exercise too is important – particularly weight-bearing exercise.

 

Get it right and you really can lead an active life - as millions of osteoporosis sufferers already do.

 

The personal interview I secure with Ursula is a chance to probe a little deeper on why she is so passionate about this cause. “I’m passionate about everything I do,” she laughs. Certainly she is passionate about the planet and the way modern life is no improvement on the way things were. “I remember London in the 60s. It was such a fab place to be. So happy. Everyone was there, everything was happening. But now everywhere is the same.”

 

With some 30 films behind her – including timeless classics such as Blue Max and the first Casino Royale – she feels that her days of making commercial movies may well be over, and isn’t tempted to try her hand. “But I like art, so I do art films,” she says.

 

Now in her 70s, she would be a good match for some of the superb British and American actresses who have found a new lease of life in later years. She is also engagingly warm and charming to meet, and still proud of her figure: the day we meet, her outfit is a revealing combination of white ruffled shirt and black bustier.

 

She seems quite comfortable with getting older, accepting that her days as a film icon are in the past. “Forty-five years ago looking like that was easy, now it is hard.  These days I prefer a little more darkness, and to keep the old photos going.”

 

Her passion for life also extends to her concern for the planet. “The only thing that matters when you have children is your children’s future, but what kind of a world are we leaving them? Did you know about the bees?” She demands. “They are disappearing. And if they all go…”

 

So if she is fearful of the future, and wants to change the world, would she ever consider a change of career – into journalism perhaps? “No, no, no! The injustices of the world are too hard to take in!

 

“But my philosophy is to be honest, happy and live life.”