The only thing that has made me, a true Olympics junkie, feel okay about Paris Olympics coming to a close, has been waking up to this very post! I’m thrilled that Damian is dropping a Live EP of his Mission Creep Tour later this month and I find it utterly smart to drop the first single “Wanna Grow Old in Paris” on the closing day of the Olympics in Paris.
Now, we all know the narrator in the song, the woman who wanted to grow old in Paris. We also know Helen was all of the things Damian talks about in his Instagram post and more. And while she did not have the chance to grow old in Paris, Damian told the audience at his gig at The Tabernacle in London in November 2022 that she managed to do some of the things he sings about in the song.
“I knew a woman once who wanted to grow old like a chic, Parisienne grand-dame… She managed some of this…”
Helen spent her teenage years in Paris because her dad worked as a diplomat there. She witnessed chic Parisienne women attending parties and receptions at the residence. She once said:
I spent my teenage years in Paris when my dad was stationed there, and I’d look at women in their forties and think, ‘That’s the age I want to be.
When asked about her favorite city for The Independent’s “My Life in Travel” series, Helen talked about Paris:
“The city is preserved in aspic. When you return, not only is the same restaurant still there, but so is the chef. It’s like visiting a favourite armchair.”
And her favorite restaurant abroad was in Paris, too.
“Restaurant Chartier in Paris. It’s not swanky. It’s like an old-fashioned soup kitchen, with white cloths and about 12 dishes on the menu. I went there a lot between the ages of about 12 and 18, when I lived in Paris. If you buy a bottle of wine at lunch and don’t finish it, they’ll keep it and your dirty napkin for you until you come back at dinner time.”
The city of lights stayed special for Helen as the place she wanted to grow old, painting her lips like Jeanna Moreau, smoking cigarettes with her Belmondo, and sipping Pastis at Cafe Flore. But then the city also became special for Damian and Helen as a couple probably because Helen loved it so much. Damian proposed to Helen on Pont Neuf in 2006. And Damian’s “Wanna Grow Old in Paris” post on Instagram tempted me to share that story with you.
In their well-known double interview with British Vogue in 2013, Damian says that “falling in love with a beautiful, talented actress and whisking her off to Paris to propose” was his fantasy.
So, he first falls in love with a beautiful, talented actress. In case you missed it, we shared the story about how Damian met Helen earlier here.
“Helen and I partied very, very hard before we met and then we collided at the Almeida in 2004 and together we partied even harder. We used to lose entire evenings listening to jazz at Ronnie Scott’s.”
I smile big when I remember Damian telling Kirsty Young on Desert Island Discs very lovingly about the evenings he and “his lady wife” spent at jazz bars and choosing a track that reminds him of those sweet evenings:
“…when I was courting my lady wife, we went to listen to a lot of jazz, it was really lovely. And… I like the entire spectrum of jazz, but I’ve chosen us a more traditional swing jazz. This guy was really the first jazz super star, he was dead by the time he was 28. And, this is called Goose Pimples… It’s a fantastic track and it would remind me of jazz clubs with Helen.”
So, go ahead and swing away with Bix Beiderbecke as you read on about how our favorite guy, who could NOT not chase his fantasies, whisks Helen off to Paris to propose… 🙂
“I proposed to Helen in Paris. I tried to do it on the Pont Neuf — I was sweating bullets and wrestling in my overcoat pocket for the ring, which had got stuck in a little cellophane bag, but when I finally got it out, a gaggle of Japanese tourists surrounded us like a flock of seagulls, taking pictures, and the moment was totally destroyed.”
The moment may have been totally destroyed, but it’s such a romantic and funny story for their kids and grandkids.
source: flickr.comHere is a picture of the beautiful Pont Neuf, the oldest standing bridge over the river Seine, at night for you… so now you can imagine Damian and Helen on the bridge… and add the tourists taking pictures of them 🙂
Damian added:
“I now take Helen back to Paris for three days without our two kids every February for our anniversary. We walk about the city, and sit in bars drinking rosé.”
The couple’s engagement was formally announced in the press. Wales Online reports:
“A NEW Welsh “golden couple” could be in the making after the engagement of actors Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory was announced.
It emerged last night that Lewis, best-known for starring in acclaimed World War II drama Band of Brothers, proposed to his girlfriend of three years earlier this month, in a romantic gesture shortly before Valentine’s Day.
Her acceptance was confirmed in a formal announcement in the Daily Telegraph’s pages yesterday, which read, “The engagement is announced between Damian, son of Mr Watkin [sic] Lewis and the late Mrs Lewis, of London, and Helen, daughter of Mr and Mrs Iain McCrory of Cardiff.”
And how about the ring? Helen talked a bit about her plain titanium engagement ring as well as her more expensive platinum wedding band which Damian convinced her about in an interview with Daily Mail. She rotated the rings for the interviewer’s inspection and said:
“Not that you can really tell the difference. When my dad saw them he said, “What is Damian, a bl**** plumber?”’
But my favorite from Iain McCrory, Helen’s dad, is what he talks about when he talks about his first meeting with his future son-in-law:
“Helen never brings fame into the house. Yes, she’s married to Damian Lewis and he is who he is, but all I see is a brilliant husband and a father who’s totally devoted to his family. As soon as I met him, I knew he was right. He’s an old-fashioned romantic at heart and I know he’ll always look after my girl. What more could a father wish for?”
This literally brings tears to my eyes and not because Damian is a brilliant husband and a father but because I know this is what every parent wishes for their children.
Damian says “Wanna Grow Old in Paris” is a love song, perhaps a sad song. It is definitely a beautiful love song. I find it moving but not sad. It’s about love and dreams. It inspires me to pursue my own dreams. And “We’ll talk ’til we can talk no more” are some of the most beautiful lyrics ever written in a song.
You can now download “Wanna Grow Old in Paris – Live” on all major platforms where you download your music. I already have and it has been an effective treatment for my serious Damian Lewis gig withdrawals! 🙂 Fingers crossed for some fall dates!
Just beautiful! Thank you for bringing these beautiful pieces of romantic and love.
Not anonymous
Tsvete
It’s my pleasure Thank you for your kind words.