EastEnders legend June Brown has launched an impassioned defence of her lifestyle choices, specifically her love of cigarettes and wine.
June – best known for her long-standing role as Dot Cotton in the BBC soap – celebrated her 92nd birthday in February, and said she has no intention of giving up her vices, commenting: “I’m going to die of something fairly soon so why not enjoy myself?”
She told Radio Times: “[I] love red wine and also dark chocolate, even though I’m allergic to it and it makes me sneeze.
“And the Guinness helps me keep a bit of weight on. I don’t need to be careful about what I eat or drink.”
June went on to note that she wouldn’t be making the switch to e-cigarettes as she thinks they’re too heavy, adding: “What’s the point of counting how many cigarettes I smoke a day? I’ve been on them for over 70 years.”
Last week, June made headlines when she revealed that she is losing her sight, two years after undergoing surgery to correct it.
She said: “I can’t really go out socially due to my eyesight. I never go to soap awards or suchlike now. I don’t recognise people that I know and they would think I was snubbing them.”
Last year, June took part in the celebrity reality series 100 Years Younger In 21 Days, alongside stars like Shaun Ryder, Sherrie Hewson and Gogglebox star Sandra Martin.
During the show, she claimed that she stays young by practising Tibetan yoga, even giving her fellow celebs an impromptu demonstration.
Read her full interview in the new issue of Radio Times, out now.
