In 1959 I married aged 19 so at the age of 25 I was in the thick of having babies and looking after young children. Back then, in the Fifties, sex was not discussed in public, and sex was for producing babies.
I was one of the first women to juggle a career with bringing up a family, and I struggled with the issue many women face today, that you have so little time, and to have a great sex life you need to set aside time – sex should not be rushed.
I was not sexually experienced when I got married – very few women of my generation were – and we were far more fearful and apprehensive about sex. Excited, yes, but also fearful!
I wish I had known then that sex was nothing to fear. In a way, not having slept with anyone else meant that I had no baggage or complications to bring to the marriage, and we were happily married for 25 years.
There was no Pill, either, so there was always the risk of pregnancy. At 25 sex to me was procreational, not recreational. I wish I had known that sex was not the preserve of young people – and it really does improve with age and experimentation.
I feel more sensual now than at 25, and that’s largely because I have a reasonable body image. You need to feel good about yourself to really enjoy sex.