Pussy Galore defends Clegg’s honour

Honor Blackman, the actress who played Pussy Galore in the James Bond film Goldfinger, has defended Lib-Dem leader Nick Clegg’s astonishingly naive revelation in a recent men’s magazine interview that he had enjoyed “no more than 30” sexual partners before marrying. Erstwhile sex kitten Blackman, who will be 80 this year, said: “I really don’t think it’s any big deal that he’s an experienced lover. I think it makes him more attractive and human. It’s good for a man to have lived a bit.”

As a high-profile supporter of the Lib Dems, it’s not surprising that Blackman has rallied to Clegg’s defence. However, senior party members, among them former leader Sir Menzies Campbell, have been privately critical of the gaffe, which they claim shows a disturbing lack of judgment. Says one Lib Demmer: “Even Lembit Opik, who is about to marry one of the Cheeky Girls, comes across as a model of seriousness in comparison.”