August 19th 2023.
Andi Oliver is a vibrant and determined woman who always keeps her own life motto in mind - "If I don't love it, I'm not going to do it." She recently celebrated her 60th birthday and was proud to share this life advice with us.
One thing that Andi is absolutely certain about is that she never wants to get married. Despite having been in a relationship with restauranteur Garfield Hackett for many years, the thought of marriage does not appeal to her. When asked about it, she firmly stated, "I refuse to get married. I would not be happy to get married. I can't be bothered. It's a massive long thing with loads of annoyance. My friends can buy their own dinner. I'm not going to buy dinner for 300 people."
Andi definitely makes her feelings known when it comes to marriage. When we spoke over Zoom, she was wearing a multi-coloured dress and black glasses with a glistening golden chain. She certainly put our WHF uniform to shame!
Andi was happy to go all out for her recent birthday last month. Garfield put on a mini festival called 'Andi-stock' in her honour and rented a house in Surrey for three days. The 'dream weekend' was attended by around 200 people and Andi was gifted lots of 'swag', but the best present of all was spending time with her loved ones.
Reflecting on her milestone birthday has left Andi feeling content and incredibly grateful. She told us, "I just feel more and more grateful. There are only two options - you get older or you die. I want to live. I'm moving forward, and I'm feeling myself. The more I understand myself, the more excited I am about the world and humanity."
Despite her age, Andi has no plans to retire any time soon. Her seemingly unlimited amount of energy leaves her family and friends baffled. When she recently proclaimed she was feeling a little tired they celebrated! But Andi loves her job and is consistently inspired to get up and go to work. She said, "I get to do so many things that I love. I've got my cookbook out, a podcast with my daughter, I'm filming a new series for BBC Two, and I'm doing some Pub in the Parks as well. That's four massive things at the same time, but it's amazing."
Andi also has some non-negotiable stipulations when it comes to her work in the showbiz industry. She insists on having a producer role in anything she does on TV and as a creative person, she needs to make her own creative decisions. She explained, "I don't want to just do other people's projects. I'm very much of my own mind. Myself and Miquita are creating autonomy for ourselves within the industry."
Andi believes that representation is incredibly important and that TV often doesn't portray life accurately. She concluded, "We need people of colour to be represented. We need people who have a broad way of thinking in positions of power in the creative industries to create more representation. Vision is a powerful tool and it's a powerful mechanism. We should wield it carefully."
Andi Oliver is a unique and inspiring woman who proudly marches to the beat of her own drum. On the occasion of her 60th birthday, her life motto was shared with us: "If I don't love it, I'm not going to do it." One thing she absolutely refuses to do is get married. She has been in a relationship with restauranteur Garfield Hackett for many years, but marriage is not something that appeals to her.
"I refuse to get married," she told The Agency. "I would not be happy to get married. I can't be bothered. It's a massive long ting with loads of annoyance. My friends can buy their own dinner. I'm not going to buy dinner for 300 people. People say to me: 'But you'd get to wear a fabulous dress.' I wear fabulous dresses every day anyway. If I want to wear a frock with a 10ft train on a normal day then I will just do it."
Andi has no desire to get married and her fashion sense proves this point even more. We chatted with her over Zoom and she had chosen a multi-coloured dress and black glasses with a glistening golden chain that matched the jewellery adorning her neck.
Though Andi is not the type to celebrate any occasion, her partner Garfield put on a mini festival called 'Andi-stock' in her honour for her recent birthday. He rented a house in Surrey for three days and around 200 people attended. The 'dream weekend' was the best present for her as it was a chance to spend time with loved ones.
The milestone birthday left Andi feeling reflective. She admits that she has never been happier and is filled with gratitude. "I just feel more and more grateful," she said. "There are only two options - you get older or you die. I want to live. I'm moving forward, and I'm feeling myself. The more I understand myself, the more excited I am about the world and humanity."
Andi's family and friends are baffled by her seemingly unlimited amount of energy. Even when she proclaimed she was a little tired, they celebrated. But Andi has no plans to retire any time soon. "I am consistently inspired and excited about getting up each day and going to work," she said enthusiastically.
Andi is currently involved in a number of projects such as a cookbook, podcast with her daughter, new series for the BBC, and Pub in the Parks. All of these projects bring her joy and she is excited to be creating autonomy in the industry.
In addition to this, Andi has a non-negotiable stipulation when it comes to TV work - she has to have a producer role. "I'm not very good at other people telling me what to do," she said. "I think if you're a creative person, you need to be able to make your own creative decisions. I don't want to just do other people's projects. I'm very much of my own mind. We need people of colour to be represented. TV is very often not what life is like. Vision is a powerful tool and it's a powerful mechanism. We should wield it carefully."
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