Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Woman & Home
Woman & Home
Lifestyle
Lucy Wigley

'I'm having the best sex of my life' - Kathy Lette on midlife divorce and why she doesn't see it as a failure

Kathy Lette attends the Comedy Women In Print Prize 2025 at The Groucho Club on November 03, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images).

Is there a more entertaining person to interview than Kathy Lette? After a recent appearance on the Second Act Podcast with Ateh Jewel , the answer is probably "no".

The witty author didn't hold back in sharing her humorous take on everything from menopause, the "liberation" of ageing, and why she'll never view divorce as a failure.

In conversation with host Ateh Jewel, Kathy did share that she found divorcing in her 50s "draining and full of anguish," but would always reframe the experience from "failure" to simply "a change".

"It didn't help that I was going through the menopause," Kathy says of the time she separated from her husband, adding, "My confidence was so low, it goes limbo low.

"But then I got on the HRT," she explains, adding, "And I got the gumption to change my life - and I don't see divorce as a failure, I see it as a change," she says, which is a refreshing take on her situation.

"Change is a good thing," she continues, stressing again, "You mustn't see it as a failure."

Kathy suggests that in a generation where everyone lives longer than in previous centuries, where marriages would've been cut short by premature death, staying with the same person for decades nowadays can be hard.

"Now it could be 80 years listening to the same anecdotes," she says, continuing, "That's a long time to find somebody's anecdotes interesting.

"I just don't care what people think," she says with total candour.

The author also has the ultimate anecdote for any midlife woman, whether post-divorce or still with a spouse, who might need to be "cheered up". She reveals, "Another thing about getting older is that you have the best sex of your life.

"Good sex is about being relaxed in your skin and not caring, because you know yourself, what you want, and you're not afraid to ask for it," she adds.

"All this is so liberating," she shares, letting podcast listeners know she's having "the best sex of my life". Hilariously, she tells Ateh Jewel, "I can't even believe I'm vertical right now."

(Image credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images for The Ambassadors Theatre Group)

Speaking about the "liberation" of ageing and how she currently feels about her life, Kathy remains inspirational.

"It's been the best decade of my life so far without a doubt," she says of her 60s, adding, "Everything is more fun and more fabulous, and you appreciate everything more too."

She adds, "It seems everything's in high definition. And I think that is because you come into your true self. I honestly don't think women become their true selves till they hit 60."

Just as excited to embrace her 70s, Kathy shares, "I'm not going down the whole cosmetic surgery route, I think, 'read between my lines, read between my facial lines.'"

Referring to the lines on her face telling a story, he concludes, "It's all there. The books, the babies, the hours of fun-loving flirtation. I don't want to have personality-ectomy."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.