“Godmother of Soul” Patti LaBelle may be 72 and a grandmother, but she’s not sitting around relaxing.
“Most people say, ‘After 60, stay home and chill.’ Honey, after 70 you just keep on going,” she tells Rach about her philosophy.
Case in point -- she signed up to do the physically grueling “Dancing with the Stars” at age 70. And she says of the experience: “I could have won, but I let somebody else win. I was hot.”
As her Walmart pie empire (remember this viral video about her sweet potato pie?) continues to grow, she’s sharing her favorite dessert recipes with the world in her new cookbook Desserts LaBelle.
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She tells Rach that even though she has diabetes, her love of baking is still going strong. “I cook them for my family and friends who love sweets and I’ll take a little taste to make sure it’s right,” she says.
“I’ll keep on making sweets until I die, and I won’t die from diabetes,” she proclaims.
In addition to her pies and cookbook, she’s coming out with her first studio album in almost a decade this Friday: Bel Hommage, which features jazz standards. She wasn’t always keen on the idea, telling Rach, “When my ex-husband came to me with these idea, I said, ‘No way, I’m not going to touch Nina Simone or Frank Sinatra’s music.’” But she came around, and tells Rach that she had a lot of fun making the album.
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Another thing that she has a blast doing? Spending quality time with her adorable 2-year-old granddaughter Gia. The proud grandma is expecting another granddaughter later this year, and can’t wait to spoil them both.
Of course, Patti didn’t leave without giving Rach a taste of one of her legendary desserts. Get the recipe here:
Jammin’ Blackberry Jam Cake with Caramel Icing
