Having turned 60 last September, Marian Keyes is finally feeling happy in her own skin after living a life that she says was 'full of ups and downs'.
"Turning 60 used to be the age where you were just shuffled off," the international best-selling author tells HELLO! in this exclusive interview. "I feel most days that I am a much more confident person than I used to be. I've got so much better at asking for what I want; the fear of people not liking me is dialled down."
"I feel kinder to myself in that I don't push myself as hard," continues Marian, who is 30 years sober after entering rehab for alcohol addiction and has also battled depression. "I used to work all the time but now there are other things I do. I have hobbies; it was knitting until recently. Before that, I was painting and upcycling furniture. I take care of myself physically and I make time to see my friends and my mother; I prioritise things differently and I like that."
Looking back on life without regret is one of the main themes of her latest novel, My Favourite Mistake, which sees the author revisit Anna Walsh, the main character from her 2006 book Anybody Out There?
In the new book, Anna quits her high-flying job in New York and returns to her native Ireland – and her long-lost love, Joey – to try and rebuild her life and make up for past errors.
"I have done things I'm sincerely ashamed of," says Marian, who has sold more than 30million books worldwide. "It's about looking back at those things with a more evolved perspective. I wanted to show that people can improve and change and get better. We all do terrible things, not because we are terrible people but because we're human and we're flawed."
The book also covers Anna's journey through the menopause, a storyline that "just felt right" to Marian.
"I always say starting the menopause is like going through adolescence, but in reverse – all the hormones are being pulled away like the tide is going out. And the changes are enormous: emotionally, physically, cognitively."
She is delighted that people in the public eye are now talking more openly about going through that stage of life. "Until very recently, if the word 'menopause' was even mentioned, people would bless themselves. There was secrecy and shame and mockery around it and so much misinformation or just mystery. And now, amazing people like Davina McCall are talking about it publicly and I'm so grateful to them."
This year is set to be an epic one for Marian, who lives just outside of Dublin with her husband of 29 years, Tony. It was recently announced that her 2020 book Grown Ups is being turned into a Netflix series.
"I feel absolutely delighted. There was talk before Christmas of the Netflix deal about to be greenlit, but 'about to' is not enough," she says. "This is not my first rodeo! So I thought I wouldn't get excited until it happens."
My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes (Michael Joseph) is out now