Real Life: At 62, comedian Michèle A’Court is cherishing the joys of ‘stepping into elderhood’

Michele A'Court says she’s “really OK” with turning 62, because her “sixties feel very much like my twenties”.

Michèle A’Court is loving the process of “stepping into [her] elderhood” as she ages.

The comedian turned 62 a few months ago, which she says she’s “really OK” with, because her “sixties feel very much like my twenties”.

“My knee hurts and I’ve got a hearing aid and I wear orthotics, but apart from that, I don’t have regular daily responsibility for children,” she told Newstalk ZB’s Real Life with John Cowan on Sunday night.

“Every time I go to the supermarket I don’t have to buy food that I don’t like, I can just buy food I like, and there’s a whole lot of self-discovery going on.”

A grandmother to two, A’Court started her sixties by going to therapy, and now belongs to a “fantastic group that meets on a regular basis”.

She told Cowan her experience of entering this new phase of life has been one of “getting to work out who you are, but bringing with it a whole lot of life experience”.

“You’re also not broke any more, and you’ve got some wisdom. You’re not starting from behind the eight ball.

“I’m really enjoying it. I think of it as stepping into my elderhood, becoming a good ancestor.”

In January, A’Court was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in recognition of her service to the comedy and entertainment industries.

As well as being one of Aotearoa’s pre-eminent comics across many decades, A’Court also founded the New Zealand Comedy Guild, a first-of-its-kind industry body that represents comedians.

Michele A'Court hid the news she was to be given the ONZM title from her closest friends and family for weeks - even her husband. Photo / Frances Carter.

But when she got the email to inform her she would be given the distinguished ONZM title, she was convinced it was a scam.

“It came on a Friday afternoon out of the blue. I was alone, and [my husband] Jeremy [Elwood] was working in Canada. I took the email address, the mobile number and the website, and put them into Google to see if they were known to be fraudulent.

“I thought it was a ‘Nigerian prince’ thing going on. Turns out it was the British King.”

A’Court says it was “the most delicious secret to keep” from everyone she knew for about two or three months. Even her husband wasn’t told for about six weeks.

“He was away, and I felt like that wasn’t something that you would talk about on the phone or text somebody. So I waited until he came back to New Zealand.”

Real Life is a weekly interview show where John Cowan speaks with prominent guests about their life, upbringing, and the way they see the world. Tune in Sundays from 7:30pm on Newstalk ZB.