The Commitments star Angeline Ball has revealed why she will be a bridesmaid but never a bride.
And the 51-year-old singer and actress says getting older doesn’t bother her - and insists she has never had any “work” done.
The vivacious blonde beauty is about to release her come-back music album, for which she writes and sings the tracks, including singles Sinking and Holding On.
But it is still for her debut film role nearly 30 years ago, the brassy young Imelda Quirke in The Commitments, that she is best known.
Since the iconic film came out, Angeline has been involved in a number of movie productions, both as a singer and an actor.
She also moved to London, where she now lives with her partner, Patrice Gueroult, and their two children, 16-year-old Kate Rose and nine-year-old Max.
The couple have spent so long together that Patrice is often referred to as her “husband” - but they have yet to officially tie the knot.
And while Angeline says they may have to do so eventually for property and tax reasons, she has long railed against the restrictive nature of marriage.
“I just think personally there are little girls that grow up and all they want to do is wear the white dress, but that’s never been me,” Angeline told the Sunday Independent Life magazine.
“Maybe it’s the tomboy in me, but I never wanted to feel as though I was owned by someone.
“The whole Catholic thing that was attached to the institution of marriage also made it seem very binding, very heavy.”
The chanteuse, who is a qualified yoga and pilates teacher, says weddings are very stressful and tend to be about other people, and not the couple getting married.
Referring to the fact that Patrice is mistakenly referred to as her husband, Angeline says: “I’ve never said ‘husband’ and after the horse has bolted there doesn’t seem to be very much point in grabbing it back into the stable.
“I’ve been a bridesmaid once for my sister so you could say always the bridesmaid, never the bride.”
Plastic surgery has been a hot topic this week, as punters speculate whether Love Island stars such as Maura Higgins and others have had any work done.
Angeline, who turns 51 this month, says there’s pressure on women to have surgery as we get older - but insists her good looks are all natural.
She says: “There is pressure to get things surgically tweaked but I don’t know where that comes from.
“It’s not a nice look, it’s awful. If you look after yourself and put on the creams then you’re doing all you can do. That’s what I try to do.”
