While my physical ‘stalking’ at stage doors and events in London came to an abrupt halt in March – the 14th to be precise – due to a you-know-what, the mail has continued to be delivered, albeit reduced, but a signed treasure arrived recently, a sketch I sent to one of France’s most admired actresses, Fanny Ardant, back in 2009.

More than a movie star, Fanny was part of cinema history, the muse and companion of the great French new wave director Francois Truffaut during the early 1980’s, before his early death. Fluent in English and Italian, she has appeared in more than eighty motion pictures since 1976, including Hollywood and British films, thirty theatre productions and twenty TV dramas. She has also become an acclaimed director and screenwriter.

At this year’s Cesar Awards in Paris, a couple of weeks before France went into lockdown for the aforementioned you-know-what, Fanny won her second Cesar for her supporting portrayal of Marianne in the romantic comedy-drama LA BELLE EPOQUE, having previously won for Best Actress in 1997, for her comedic role of Eva, the gay bar manager in PEPALE DOUCE. She has also been nominated for two Moliere theatre awards. Last year Fanny directed the opera LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK at the Greek National Opera.

The sketch, drawn in my fine black biro style, prior to the 4B pencil take over, was accompanied by a signed photo. It took eleven years, but well worth the wait.