Lumley gets a hero’s welcome

Monday, July 27, 2009

NEPAL’S Gurkhas gave British actress and campaigner Joanna Lumley a hero’s welcome when she landed at Kathmandu Airport yesterday on her first-ever visit to the Himalayan nation.

Hundreds of soldiers and their families greeted the 63-year-old star of TV show Absolutely Fabulous, who spearheaded a campaign for the British army veterans to be allowed to settle in Britain.

The actress’s impassioned lobbying earned her the adoration of the Gurkhas, who have described her visit as a "homecoming".

Britain announced in May that Gurkha veterans who had served at least four years in the army could apply for residency after a climb-down in the face of Lumley’s campaign.

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, July 27, 2009