At home with Candace Bushnell: Her love for the Hamptons and why romance can wait - Exclusive

The American author speaks to HELLO! ahead of the UK tour of her one-woman show True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City

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When American author Candace Bushnell divorced, she didn’t spend time wallowing in self-pity but instead got back in the saddle – literally – by throwing herself into a new passion.

“I got a couple of horses and started doing dressage. I was competing. At one point I thought I’d be an amateur dressage champion, and then I realised: ‘Oh, wait, this is a little bit ridiculous,” she exclusively tells HELLO! from her home in The Hamptons ahead of the UK tour of her one-woman show True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City, which begins this week.

“Of course, it was sad, but I didn’t sit around crying about it. I just got on with things, as we do as women.”

Showing that women don’t need men to thrive was what made Candace famous in the first place, with her zeitgeisty 1996 book Sex and the City, based on her New York Observer newspaper column about her dating experiences. It became a hit TV show, followed by two films, before returning as rebooted series And Just Like That… in 2021.

Hollywood actress Sarah Jessica Parker starred as columnist and fashionista Carrie Bradshaw, navigating Manhattan’s dating scene along with fiery lawyer Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), traditional romantic Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) and sexually liberated Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall).

A fun celebration of female friendship, its message still resonates nearly 30 years later, as shown by the fans who have been flocking to Candace’s show on its European tour.

Candace Bushnell's UK tour of her one-woman show True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City, begins this week

“I tell the story of the real Mr Big [Carrie’s primary love interest] and stories about my Charlotte and Samantha and Miranda, and how important they were in my life,” says the writer and producer, who based many of her characters on people she knew.  

“It’s about female empowerment, being your own Mr Big and the importance of friendship.”

And at 66, Candace is just as interested in lifestyle and dating trends as ever. 

“I see that young women are more empowered than I was in my 20s, although of course, the whole reason for writing Sex and the City was to show women embracing a different kind of lifestyle and being able to be single,” she says.

“Nowadays, most women have a Sex and the City time in their lives when they’re working on their careers, have a lot of female friends, have a certain amount of female empowerment and are not settling for the first guy they meet.

“Women are free to do what they want,” she continues. “I have quite a few friends who found their partner in their late 30s and early 40s, and that’s when they had their kids. There are no hard and fast rules. I think that’s a good thing. I don’t think the ticking clock is hanging over women’s heads the way it used to.”

Candace is the original Carrie Bradshaw. She was 18 when she moved to New York in the 1970s after dropping out of college, becoming a regular at the famous Studio 54 nightclub and dating Condé Nast magazine executive Ron Galotti, rumoured to be the inspiration for Mr Big.

Aged 43, she married ballet dancer Charles Askegard, ten years her junior. They were married for a decade until 2012 [NO!], and she has put their divorce down to the fact that their careers were so busy. She has dated since then, but for now, she’s single and devoted to her dogs Pepper, 15, and Prancer, 13.

The author is currently single and devoted to her dogs Pepper, 15, and Prancer, 13

“If someone asked me on a date, I’d probably go, but I feel very busy and have two very old standard poodles; they need a certain amount of care, as I have to cook for them,” she says.

“At some point, they’ll pass away, unfortunately, because that’s the reality of life, and I’ll be ready to be taking care of a man. I say that a bit in jest, but at the moment, I don’t know if I have the time – but I feel as though I will soon.”

For Candace, romantic bonds require commitment. “If you’re in a relationship, you should be in the relationship. I think it’s hard to make relationships work if people are one foot in and one foot out,” she says.

She and the dogs spend weekdays in Manhattan and at weekends travel to her house in the exclusive village of Sag Harbor in The Hamptons, on Long Island, east of New York City.

“I love it here,” she says. “There are lots of artists and writers and all kinds of cultural events.”

With bright pops of pink in her study, the writer’s home shows her love of colour, and it is furnished with pieces that belonged to her parents. “I have a couple of pieces of furniture and little figures that were in their house; there’s comfort from that connection to the past,” she adds.

Although her surroundings may be about comfort, Candace’s appearance is still pure Carrie. “My style is glamorous and playful,” she says. “I sometimes wear flat shoes, but if I’m going out, I always wear high heels. Manolos [Blahnik] are the most comfortable. I don’t know how many pairs I’ve got – probably too many.”

She exercises and also uses Botox. In the time she’s been observing how women are treated by society, has life has got better after the menopause?

“At one time, boy, your life was over at 50. That’s so not true any more,” she says. “Just think of all the amazing women who are in their 50s and 60s these days, like Demi Moore, Brooke Shields and Nicole Kidman.”

Candace was 18 when she moved to New York in the 1970s after dropping out of college

Meanwhile, Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays Carrie Bradshaw, turns 60 later this month. “She looks amazing,” says Candace, adding: “I’m so happy she’s still playing Carrie – I enjoy watching that.”

She’s still in touch with all of the actresses, and considers Carrie to be a major part of her career. “There are things that happened to the character in the show that happened to me in real life, but I didn’t end up marrying my Mr Big, so that’s probably a big difference.” 

Candace is still juggling multiple projects, with her book One Fifth Avenue having been optioned to be a TV series as her one-woman show spreads the message of women living their lives on their own terms. 

“I am happy with where my life is. What’s great as you get older is that there aren’t all the ups and downs that there were when you were younger. In your 30s, everything is: ‘Oh my god!’.

“Now there’s an ability to stand back and look at the bigger picture. I feel calmer, a little bit more in control, and feel that whatever life throws my way, I can handle it.

“I’ve had quite a bit of wonderful success, and feel as though I’ve fulfilled my destiny,” she says.

Candace Bushnell’s UK tour begins on 9 March. To book, visit candacebushnell.com.

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