She didn't learn to drive an automobile until she was age 56.
She was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to Literature.
Patron of the charity Celia Cross Greyhound Trust.
She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2018 Queen's New Years Honours List for her services to Literature and to Charity. She is an author and journalist in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England.