“I’m not a Bond girl, I am a Bond woman,” said Monica Bellucci. The 51 year-old Italian actress who became the oldest ‘love interest’ in the James Bond franchise with her role as Lucia Sciarra in the 24th and latest instalment, Spectre. It’s been quite a topic of conversation in the media as the World Premiere was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London last night. Fittingly Monica took the honour from Honor Blackman who played the character with the most sensational name, Pussy Galore opposite Sean Connery in Goldfinger at the age of 38. She thinks we should stop using the term ‘Bond girl’. “Age is just a number like 007,” she said. Even Bond himself, Daniel Craig, who is only three years younger, weighed in, when asked in a recent interview about ‘succumbing to charms of an older woman,’ he replied, “I think you mean the charms of a woman his own age.” He continued by saying that if someone like that wants to be a ‘Bond girl’, you count yourself lucky.  I did Monica’s quote when asked ‘why?’ to her comment that  “Bond is an amazing man.” She simply said, ” Because he doesn’t exist.”

She certainly didn’t look her age in the flesh, so to speak at the World Prem. The PAs zig-zag the cast and creatives up the wide and long runway which creates a bit of a lottery, but I was fortunate enough to on the zag or more likely the zig for sig where she signed and dedicated my sketch. A fleeting bonding with, like Daniel, a woman my own age.