Patsy Kensit, a former child star turned Hollywood actress, has married four musicians and lived most of her life in the spotlight, but she reveals, it is the relationships she has with her sons – James, with the Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr, and Lennon, with Oasis star Liam Gallagher – that she treasures above all else. Between her acting jobs at Emmerdale (from 2004 to 2006) and EastEnders (in 2023), the focus of her life was on James, now a music film director, and Lennon, a model.
Seeing them leave home was tough, she tells Ateh Jewel on HELLO!'s Second Act podcast this week. "I have two sons. I was so co-dependent on them to the point it wasn't fair on them," Patsy, 57, confesses. "I could sense that in them. They're 24 and 33. I mean, I had a child at that age, and so I think for a few years I put way too much pressure on them. When her children left home and Lennon moved in with his model girlfriend, Izzy Richmond, Patsy says, "It's just broken my heart because they grow, and they leave."
In the candid interview, she also opens up about financial difficulties and her attitudes towards money. Despite starring in Hollywood films such as Lethal Weapon 2 in 1989, Patsy received poor financial advice and a skincare line she invested in fell through. "I invested very badly and I lost everything really, about five years ago," she says. "You've just got to face things and work through them. But I'm looking at my budgeting. I've had some terrible sleepless nights but it's what I've learnt."
Single in midlife
Now happily single, she is enjoying spending time with her girlfriends. She recently attended an intimate 60th birthday party for her long-term friend Elizabeth Hurley, who has found love again with Billy Ray Cyrus. Patsy is godmother to Elizabeth's son, Damian. Talking about her friendship with Elizabeth, Patsy said: "Her and I just fell in love instantly. For her 60th, she got a beautiful place in the country. The whole family adopted me a little bit."
Her plans for her second career act? "I'd love to go back to EastEnders. That to me was a dream job, and I was in a relationship at the time and it wasn't really a job that I was encouraged to take."
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