If anyone had told me when I was 19 that I would be working, travelling the world and still singing in a band in my 70s, I wouldn’t have believed them. If anyone had told me I would fall in love again in my seventies, I wouldn’t have believed them. I am Diana Mather, I am 76 and I am only just reaching my prime!
Early Years
I was one of a family of four, two sisters and a brother. We had an idyllic childhood surrounded by animals – ponies, dogs, cats, hens, hamsters, ducks and even Bess, the cow. At the age of 16, my schooling came to an abrupt end due to the school's closing down (though I don’t think I had anything to do with it), leading me towards the path of drama school with the ambition to become an actor. Though I gained a wealth of experience working in the theatre and on several TV dramas, I soon realised that my acting skills were not enough to ignite the world stage, so I decided to explore the areas of writing and presenting. Consequently, I became a part of the vibrant news team at BBC Northwest in Manchester, staying for over 10 years.
I then moved into the training industry, and my company, Public Image, was among the pioneers in delivering media coaching to help politicians enhance their on-screen charisma when the UK Parliament was first televised. The experience was as enlightening as it was fascinating. Presently, my work scope extends worldwide, offering both in-person and virtual instructions in self-confidence building, life mastery, social savviness, public speaking, and interview prowess.
I realised that presenting was much more my bag, and I joined the news team at BBC Northwest in Manchester, staying for over 10 years. After moving into the training sector, as so many news people do, my company, Public Image, became one of the first to introduce media coaching to help politicians improve their performance when the UK Parliament was first televised. This was very interesting as you can imagine, and now I work all over the world, both virtually and in person, teaching confidence, life skills, social intelligence, public speaking and interview techniques. I am also an author. I love writing and have published 12 books over the last 25 years or so and am working on the next. People always ask me why I don’t seem to age and how I find the energy to travel round the globe, write books, run courses and keep up with family and friends. I have never had any ‘work ‘done, I don’t use Botox or fillers, but I do keep myself fit (without running marathons or spending hours in the gym) eat pretty well and use natural skincare products where possible. And I am grateful for every hour of every day. Over the forthcoming weeks I will share my secrets of how to live a life full of joy, energy, fulfilment and happiness.
My book, ‘A Recipe for Life - 7 Steps to becoming Happy, Healthy and Confident’ will be out soon, but meanwhile I hope the forthcoming blogs will have some useful ingredients for a happier, healthier life for you – no matter what your age!