Jane
publishes a tale of her dramatic lifeBy Sheena Broadhead Chronicle correspondent
HOLLYWOOD actress Jane Seymour has told people in Bath of the dramatic ups and downs of her life on a visit to the city where she has her British home.
The former Bond girl who owns 14th century St. Catherine's Court near Batheaston, was at the Bath Spa Hotel to publicize her new book, Remarkable Changes.
The idea for the book, about turning life's challenges into opportunities, developed when a publisher heard her talking about her life on an American TV programme.
Ms Seymour told the audience at a special appearance at the hotel: "We didn't think too much about it until after the tragic events of 9/11 and we realised that everyone's life was changing, that the whole world had changed, and then we were all living in fear and panic and we were all worrying about the next disaster that would happen.
"I talked to my mother at that time and I said everyone's afraid of taking airplanes and flying. My mother, Mieke, had survived a concentration camp for three-and-a-half years. She said: 'Darling, you can't live in fear, you have to get on with your life. You have to keep moving. You just don't know when your time is up, then if you're worrying about when your time is up, you're missing out on the life that you have'.
"So I listened again to the idea of the book and I realised the only real constant in my life had been change and it's been the way that I dealt with it every time that has given me an opportunity that would never have happened had the bad thing not happened in the first place."
In the book the 52-year-old actress reflects on the
life-altering events in her past and the lessons to be learned from
those events. Speaking candidly about her past turmoil, she recounts
how she suffered a particularly bad year on turning 40 when she lost
her father to cancer.
"I was very close to my father. He was very much an inspiration to me. He brought me up to believe that I could be anything I wanted to be."
It was during this time that her marriage fell apart.
"I thought I was living a fairy-tale life. I thought I was very wealthy I had worked very hard and saved all my money but the 'very well' I thought we were doing had a large minus in front of it with a lot of zeros, and I was in desperate financial trouble. I didn't know if I would have a roof over my head. I was going to lose everything I had, including my beloved St Catherine's Court, which I really didn't want to lose."
The star of television series Quinn, Medicine Woman, turned to art to avoid what she is convinced would have been a major depression. "Out of that, I have been holding exhibitions all over America. People buy my paintings and it's become a very big part of my life."
Ms Seymour has more than 50 motion pictures and television programs to her credit. She is the mother of four children, including twins, and stepmother of two. She spends most of her time in California with her husband, James Keach, and family.
Special thanks to Nornita Farnham and Arlene B. for sharing this article.
"I was very close to my father. He was very much an inspiration to me. He brought me up to believe that I could be anything I wanted to be."
It was during this time that her marriage fell apart.
"I thought I was living a fairy-tale life. I thought I was very wealthy I had worked very hard and saved all my money but the 'very well' I thought we were doing had a large minus in front of it with a lot of zeros, and I was in desperate financial trouble. I didn't know if I would have a roof over my head. I was going to lose everything I had, including my beloved St Catherine's Court, which I really didn't want to lose."
The star of television series Quinn, Medicine Woman, turned to art to avoid what she is convinced would have been a major depression. "Out of that, I have been holding exhibitions all over America. People buy my paintings and it's become a very big part of my life."
Ms Seymour has more than 50 motion pictures and television programs to her credit. She is the mother of four children, including twins, and stepmother of two. She spends most of her time in California with her husband, James Keach, and family.
Special thanks to Nornita Farnham and Arlene B. for sharing this article.