Joanna Lumley ‘elated and full of champagne’ after Jilly Cooper memorial
The service took place at Southwark Cathedral in London on Friday morning.
Dame Joanna Lumley said she felt “elated and full of champagne” following the memorial service for Dame Jilly Cooper.
The Queen, the cast of hit TV show Rivals, and a host of other famous faces gathered at Southwark Cathedral on Friday morning to celebrate the life of the successful author.
Dame Jilly died unexpectedly in October, aged 88, after sustaining injuries from a fall.
Speaking about the memorial service, Dame Joanna told the Press Association: “It was absolutely beautiful. It was very touching, sometimes very funny, just sometimes very moving and very beautiful.
“I think everything she would have loved, and (it) just reminded you of how hugely she’s being missed.”
Speaking to the media gathered outside the cathedral, Dame Joanna added: “I think what moved me most in the service was just the sheer adoration in that great stuffed cathedral.
“Every single seat was taken, and everybody was there because they knew Jilly.
“She was adored because she was adorable. She never had a hard or horrid word to say about anybody.
“She treated everything as thrilling and exciting as chance. She loved everybody, and everybody loved her back. She loved life, she loved nature. She was an optimist. She was an extraordinary woman.
“The great thing is that although she’s gone, we’ve got all her books and we’ve got her television shows and we’ve got her still alive amongst us.”
When asked how she was feeling after the service, Dame Joanna told the Press Association: “Elated and full of champagne.”
