Image credit: Mark Harrison
Our much-loved columnist Jeremy Paxman on his battle with Parkinson’s and why he’s calling it a day at Saga Magazine.
When my phone rang and the name Paxo flashed up, I had a sixth sense that the call would herald the end of an era on Saga Magazine. Jeremy Paxman, our esteemed columnist for the past five years, wondered if I had time for lunch as there was something he wanted to discuss.
Even though I half knew what was coming, it was still a real blow to hear that Jeremy felt it was time to pass the Saga baton on to someone else. For the next couple of hours, we discussed Dignitas, Dickens and, of course, Parkinson’s.
“Parkinson’s is, for me, one of the most depressing things you could ever imagine,” Paxman tells me.
“For many people who are ill there is the prospect of getting better, the notion that things can be improved. But Parkinson’s is degenerative, and that’s tough; to know that one will carry on being like this forever is terrible.”
But he does embrace small wins, saying: “It is a very good opportunity not to do anything you don’t want to do – I have escaped many household chores!”
He says: “I shall be very sorry to leave. I’ve enjoyed sharing my half-baked views on the world with Saga readers.
"I’m very grateful to those of you who have been kind enough to take them seriously. But it’s time, I think, to quit while I’m ahead."
“One of the many great things about the man who was my very first hire as editor, is his unflinching honesty. It is what makes him such a great journalist, broadcaster and columnist. Saga Magazine will not be the same without him.”
Read the full interview in May's issue of Saga Magazine