Gareth Owen - Raising an Eyebrow: My Life with Sir Roger Moore

First published 2020

This paperback edition first published 2021

The History Press

97 St Georges Place, Cheltenham,

Gloucestershire, GL50 3QB

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

Gareth Owen, 2020, 2021

The right of Gareth Owen to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the Publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 0 7509 9449 1

Typesetting and origination by The History Press

Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd.

eBook converted by Geethik Technologies

Having known Roger for many years as a friend and as a co-star in The Man with the Golden Gun, I can honestly say he was one of the most charming men Ive ever met. He was also one of the busiest. He never stopped working: TV, film, writing books, touring his show and, of course, his work with UNICEF.

But when you are working that hard, theres always someone in the wings making sure its all running smoothly. In Rogers case it was his long-time private secretary, Gareth Owen.

Gareth knew Roger better than anyone, even some of his wives, and he could usually second-guess and keep one step ahead of him, which was invaluable.

But beyond that, they were the best of friends that was so evident to anyone who saw them together. They were so very loyal to each other, and even shared the same naughty sense of humour

Im delighted Gareth has written about their years together. This book is insightful, fun, poignant and, just like their working relationship, so unique. Roger was indeed the nicest man ever!

The last time I saw Roger in person was early March 2016, a couple of months before he died.

I was leaving his chalet in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, after spending a week with him and his wife, Kristina, following his discharge from hospital in Lausanne to build up his strength in readiness for his next round of cancer treatment. Whilst a tiny part of me knew it might be the last time I saw him, I never really thought it possible that my hero would ever die; hed always said, when people asked him how he would like to be remembered, as the oldest person in the world and I believed him.

I prepared some of the leftover cottage pie Id made him earlier in the week and left it in the microwave for Kristina to heat up along with some vegetables for his lunch, an hour or so later. He thanked me for coming and wished me a safe journey home, and Kristina hugged me tightly but silently her silence spoke volumes. We were both still in shock that this was happening.

I got into the taxi that had pulled up outside much to Rogers chagrin as he had wanted to drive me to the funicular station, despite being barely able to walk around his house and waved goodbye. The five-minute drive to the station was so very full of emotion with various thoughts and worries running around my head. But it had been a good week wed worked on his book, wed watched a few movies, Id made him his favourite meals and wed even ventured out to lunch once so I convinced myself to be full of hope and optimism. The thirty-minute funicular trip, followed by a two-hour rail journey to Geneva airport and a flight back to Heathrow, was always a tiring adventure, more so this time as I couldnt stop thinking of him.

Roger and I spoke regularly in the days and weeks afterwards, and up until 12 April we saw each other on Skype video calls. That was the day of our last Skype call and after that the phone calls became more sporadic as his illness took a firmer grip on his mortality. The last time we actually spoke was a few days before he died, when his daughter Deborah was with him in hospital, in Sion, and shed called me to say he wanted a word. I know hed been drifting in and out of consciousness and when he greeted me with, Hello boyo, how are you? in a very weak voice, I tried to think of something to reply; I couldnt say, Oh Im fine, how are you? because I knew exactly how he was, so instead said, Its so good to hear your voice. Just then he gave out a moan of pain, and Deborah took the phone back to tell me he was trying to get comfortable in bed and she was going to adjust his pillows.

By the following week, hed gone.

Id never known a world without Roger Moore. Life suddenly seemed very strange, and eerily quiet.

Roger Moore is all around me there are snaps and some posters on my office walls and every day there is something to remind me of him, be it a conversation, a place, an experience, a film or TV show on the box, or just a happy thought. In fact, all my thoughts of Roger are happy well, all but the last weeks of his life.

I miss him hugely because he was a huge part of my life, first as an actor and cinematic hero, then as my boss, my co-author, co-host and above all, my best friend, and I know I was one of his most trusted friends too. The relationship between any personal assistant and their boss is a close one, professionally speaking, and with Roger although he was largely based overseas and I at his Pinewood office which hed had since 1970 we spoke regularly and spent time with one another in the office, at his home and in all corners of the world. A PA is a bit like a family member in that you are so much a part of their private life, their routines, their diary, their family, their woes and worries, their frustrations. Sometimes youre closer than family, and certainly always trusted as a member of the family.

Im often asked, How did I come to work with him? I quite often reply, There was a notice in the post office window saying, Megastar needs new PA.

Really? they ask, with great interest.

No! Not quite, I reply and evade giving a proper answer.

I suppose part of a PAs role is to be discreet, not to give anything away, and to be honest Im a very private sort of person anyway; and I liken such questioning to a total stranger approaching you and saying, I hear you work at the bank, how did you get that gig? or I hear youre a plumber, who gave you that job? that probably rarely happens I realise, but mention you work for someone famous and all of a sudden everyones very interested. Curiosity? A hint of the untouchable?

But how did I get the job? Well, its a long story involving a bit of a journey, which taught me a lot of skills, made me a lot of contacts and helped me develop as the person I am all invaluable for ending up as a PA to an international megastar (tongue firmly placed in cheek).

I was born in 1973, the same year Roger Moore debuted as James Bond 007 in