I’m so excited to welcome onto the blog this week ex Bond Girl Anika Pavel. Anika came to England from her native Czechoslovakia (Trnava, now part of Slovakia) in the 1960s to be an au pair for a year, based in the town of Ipswich, Suffolk. Unfortunately in 1968 the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia and she was unable to return home. Her good looks and poise helped her gain financial independence and she became a fashion model, gracing pages of women’s magazines…. a Playboy Bunny… a Bond Girl … an actress … and a writer. Her memoir, “Encounter With The Future”, is interesting to read as she navigates the different stages of her life from Czechoslovakia (Slovakia) to England; to Asia and settling now in the USA. Such a fascinating insight into those heady days of the late 60s /early 70s….. Hi Anika 👋

Hello readers. My name is Anika Pavel. I live on Cape Cod Massachusetts. Pretty poetic given my ties to the Bee Gees music as you will find out below. 

 “Encounter With The Future” is your memoir from when you left your home country of Czechoslovakia in the 1960s  for a year’s experience as a au pair in England at the tender age of 18; your life as a fashion model, as an actress, and as a Bond girl,  eventually settling down in the USA; what made you decide to write down your story? 

I arrived in England wide eyed and eager to learn. The plan was to be an au pair for one year, then go home. I was soaking up the English experience when in August 1968 the Soviet Union invaded my homeland and nobody could be sure if it would be safe for me to go back. I became a model by chance, although fashion was in my DNA. My father was a tailor and I made my first outfit on his old PFFAF foot-powered sewing machine at the age of seven. Supervised by dad of course. 

My parents always said I was never short of words. I remain a story teller with an elephant memory. So when my children asked me to write down the stories I was telling them, I decided to go to school and learn how to write properly. To my surprise my essays began to get published. I was asked to put the essays into a book and as a result, Encounter with the Future was born. 

What helped you through your toughest moments when you first left your family in Czechoslovakia; and when the Soviet Union invaded your homeland?

Being alone in London and knowing my family was in a country full of tanks and soldiers, was hard. Getting through the difficult moments was rough. I can’t sugar coat it. But when you have no choice, you just go on till it gets better. The Bee Gees song about the mining disaster made me feel lucky that I could feel hunger and I could feel cold, because I was alive. I never complain to people around me. I did not want to be labeled; “wet” do you remember that expression? Is it still used? 

Oh yes, Anika, that expression is still used!

I loved your writing style and the honesty that shone through. Did you find writing your story therapeutic? 

I find writing the essays therapeutic. I laughed and I cried. Let me rephrase it, I laughed a lot and I bawled my eyes out and it helped me.

For me, writing is therapy. It is not like talking. Once you say it, you cannot un-say it but you can always delete your writing. So I can just let it rip. 

How difficult was it to adjust to living in a different country? How did you get to grips with learning English?

Adjusting to living in different countries was not hard for me. After all, I grew up on “Travel is the University of Life!” Learning English was harder. Actually, learning English was not hard. I could read books in less than four months. Understanding English however was a whole different matter. Thanks again to the BEE GEES song; Smile, an everlasting smile, a smile can bring you near to me… that song broke my ear barrier.  After I was able to understand that song my ears had adjusted. I shall be forever thankful. 

Becoming a Bond Girl must have been very glamorous  … of course, I love Bond films especially The Spy Who Loved Me 😊 Was it nerve racking being on the film set? What was your favourite modelling/acting experience ?

Being on the set of The Spy Who Loved Me was exhilarating. I inhaled every last drop of air in the Pinewood studios. It’s a miracle Roger Moore found any oxygen left to survive!  Haha!

My favorite modelling experience was to appear on three covers of a WOMAN magazine and the Close up toothpaste tv commercial. Working on James Bond was a unique experience I could never forget. I met Roger Moore in NYC when he was promoting the 50 years of James Bond. He treated me like a long lost friend. As for acting, working with Benny Hill in Raid on the Waterloo Station was very unique. Benny became a friend beyond cameras. He was kind, funny and very perceptive. 

Since your foray to England at the age of 18 from Czechoslovakia, you have travelled quite extensively across Europe, Asia and USA – Any favourite destinations?  What’s top of your bucket list?

I loved living and learning about different parts of the world but London will always be deepest in my heart. I will always be Slovak but being British is an honor I treasure. My children are now in New York so my heart tags toward the city that never sleeps as well. I have only one place on my bucket list. Australia. I have so many wonderful friends who live there, some I met in Hong Kong but some were pivotal in my life in England. I have to go and see them all.

Is “Encounter With The Future” available to purchase worldwide?

Encounter with the Future is available worldwide. You can get it on Amazon. Barnes and Noble, though you have to order it on B&N and you can also order it from my website too.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

Personal yeh! I love suits, vests and ties, what can I say, my father was a tailor. I like to switch it around too. So certain trousers may find themselves dancing with a different jacket and totally funky blouse. But I love ties! Not scarves, I love ties and vests. I would wear a tie and vest with a soft silk frilly blouse! Pants are secondary as long as they are comfortable. I do love the occasional funky skirt with tie and vest. Hmm I have a need to stick my nose into my closet.  

Shoes – When I was younger, I loved very high heels. I still do but now I carry flats in my handbag. I always felt high heels give women great posture. You can’t slouch in high heels.

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites ?

I like the whole experience of shopping. Or as my friend Carolyn in London calls it RETAIL THERAPY. I used to love going to Harrods in the 1970’s and Peter Jones in Sloane Square, Selfridges in West End.  But my absolute favorite was Liberty of London! I own a whole collection of their ties and mentioned my passion for the store and their ties in one of my essays in the book. 

On line, I hit Etsy for something funky. J. Crew for something practical. I also love going to one of the little shops nobody ever heard of. I don’t shop much online. My daughter does, I think it is generational.

Oh my, Liberty’s in London was my haunt in the 1980s! Love that store! What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

What outfits am I looking for now? Something comfortable yet structured. Suit but not suit. I want to stay true to myself but I don’t want to see myself coming 40 years ago. I am also sensitive not to look like my daughter wannabe. Although we raid each other’s closets frequently… 

Shoes or boots. Shoes mostly because I have a very high instep and it’s a pain to take my boots off. Just ask my husband how many times he ended up on the floor pooling my boots off. 

www.anikapavel.com  

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Such a pleasure to have you on my blog, Anika! I loved reading your memoir and I am so glad to chat about your life experiences with you. And share a love of Liberty’s too! 😍

Linda x

All photographs have been published with the kind permission of Anika Pavel.

My thanks to Anika Pavel for the interview and Ben Cameron of Cameron Publicity & Marketing for a review copy of Encounter With The Future.