You're
a single working mother. Did your ex-husband [English actor John
McEnery] help out at all financially?
No,
but in many ways that's an advantage. If you know you're going
to get nothing, you can make your own decisions.
Your
children Phoebe, 14, and Chloe, 12, attend school in England
while you live in Malibu. How do you handle being a
long-distance parent?
I
phone them every weekend and I write every Tuesday - it's what
I've done ever since I came to America four years ago. Their
letters provide me with an extraordinary record of their growing
up - from bad spelling and longings for ponies through
meanderings about boys. And, of course, wherever I am they visit
for the holidays.
Can
you tell us about the breakdown of your marriage? What happened?
What went wrong?
It
had been rotten. I think having children was a terrible shock
for John. When I told him I was pregnant for the second time,
that was the end - after that it just sort of dragged on and on.
And
today...?
He's
so proud of those kids now-and he's so grateful I never poisoned
their minds against him.
How
has your relationship with your ex affected your feelings toward
other men?
I
think you carry baggage - however clear you become, you carry
scars. I no longer have the same loving expectations - I'm more
aware of what hard work a relationship is. And there's the
legacy of never quite trusting again.
Yet
I hear you're romantically involved now.
I've
had a very loving, tender relationship with someone for the last
two years.
You
never mention his name - why the secrecy?
It's
very worrying, especially when you're in the tabloids, talking
about a relationship that's precious.
Apart
from meeting your new love, have you changed since coming to
America?
Yes.
At first I was very frightened about changing. But then, after
about a year, I thought: "Beacham, you came here at the
right age! You're a fully formed human being. Don't pride
yourself on not changing - see how much you can change, go for
it, girl!"
