Short Takes : Thatcher Enjoys Watching TV but Can’t Bear to See Herself
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, known for her strident public performances and her imperious style, shrinks from watching herself on television.
“I never watch myself on the news,” said Thatcher, whose government was plunged into disarray last week when her deputy, Sir Geoffrey Howe, resigned in a dispute over Europe.
Thatcher, dubbed “The Iron Lady,” said in the latest edition of the TV Times magazine that refusing to watch herself has caused family disagreements.
“If the news comes on and it is something about me, I will say, ‘Turn it off,’ and they say, ‘We want to see it,’ so I have to go out,” said Thatcher, whose opponents accuse her of being oblivious to criticism.
“I never watch myself on the news. I never have; I just cannot do it. Other people will tell me what I have done wrong.”
Thatcher, who pursues a punishing work schedule, said in the interview that she uses television to relax, enjoying detective stories, nature programs, art shows and old movies.
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