PrintLISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW
“Age is really just an attitude,” says legendary bombshell Raquel Welch, who has starred in over 40 films, tv shows, and Broadway plays. “When you don’t have anything that inspires you, you often give up on your life, and that’s when you age.” From model, actress, Broadway star to mother, wife, business woman and author Raquel Welch dishes out the brains behind the beauty, the potion behind the motion, and the best-kept beauty secrets to live a healthy-fit life on WOR’s The Joan Hamburg Show.
“She’s not just a gorgeous person,” says Joan Hamburg. “She’s got a fabulous brain underneath all that wonderful hair!” Known as one of the leading sex symbols of the 1960’s and 70’s Raquel Welch’s stunning beauty and voluptuous figure lead her way into a fulfilling life of success, fame, and fortune. With that, she became an international icon, but often felt as though she never had a voice and had instantly taken on her movie star image of the sexy fem fatale. In her new tell-all book, “Beyond the Cleavage,” Welch describes a very honest portrayal of her life. “This book was long overdue for me. As a sex symbol, people think [we] have the world by its tail,” says Raquel Welch. “I really needed to say to other women, ‘I’m really one of you’”
At the age of 19 she was married to Tom Welch. Often overwhelmed with the stress of balancing her life and trying to figure out where she belonged, she left her husband with her two children in order to follow what she thought was her destiny. She realized that she didn’t have the level of maturity required to be a wife and mother at such a young age, and often battled with the guilt of leaving her children while she was on set for a movie or modeling job. Now, looking back, she understands that as you journey through life you end up at a point where you have such a strong desire to make peace with yourself for all the things you think you’ve done wrong with your life.
In her book, “Beyond the Cleavage,” Welch skims through her platonic relationships with an array of highly attractive and talented men including heart-throbbers Dean Martin and Burt Reynolds. Although once criticized, she notes that she never slept with them and jokes, “Who had the time!” “Not even Burt Reynolds?!” inquires Joan Hamburg.
Growing up during the sexual revolution of the 1960’s gave Raquel a certain amount of leverage as a known sex symbol, but times have changed, she admits, “Women have been made into sexual predators.” Joan agrees, “We waited to be woo’d.” “Women need to consider themselves a prize, and realize that men want to do good things in life because of women,” continues Welch. “It’s almost as though women have an underlying resentment toward men.” Botched with the feminist revolt and the hype of the sexual revolution, the roles of men and women in romantic relationships have been drastically grayed over the years. Raquel feels that, “Women should just let men be men,” Whether it’s to hang with their buddies or watch a football game, guys need to be guys just as women should be allowed to be women. “And women don’t necessarily have to be a wife,” adds Raquel. “It’s ok to be on your own.”
With that, Joan asks, “Do you want to get married again?”
Raquel laughs, “I’m too independent and kind of a handful.”
Perhaps most guys would think otherwise…
