Annie Lennox slams mood of post-indyref Scotland

Annie Lennox said she had 'played dumb' when younger to avoid making misogynistic men feel 'eclipsed'. Picture: Getty

The Eurythmics star – who indicated her support for the No campaign in the weeks running up to last month’s vote, claiming there was a “strong element of risk” to going it alone – said that the current division between Scotland and England was “embarrassing”.

“I’d like to see the Scots put their hatred of the English aside and grow up just a little bit,” said the musician, 59, who grew up in Aberdeen, but has spent much of her adult life in London.

“We should be way beyond that now. It’s actually slightly embarrassing.

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“It’s a nonsense. The English are no longer the terrible overlord of the Scots. Westminster, I understand they have an issue with, but we all have an issue with Westminster.”

In an interview with a London-based Sunday newspaper, Lennox, who describes herself as a “feminist who loves men”, admitted that her intelligence has been a “barrier” to some of her relationships.

She said she had, at times, played dumb to stop men from feeling “eclipsed”.

She insisted said she had not done it consciously but said that people wanted to seem “magnetic and appealing” which meant there was a sense that women were not equal to men.

Lennox, who married South African gynaecologist Dr Mitch Besser two years ago, said: “As a younger person, most people want to be deemed magnetic and appealing. In that mix, as a woman, there was a sense you were not equal to a man, and I think there still is.

“You don’t ever want to eclipse a man. A man doesn’t want to feel eclipsed by a woman.”

She added: “By and large, women may be looking for sex, but it’s not the driver with heterosexual women. Women want an emotional connection. There’s just more to it than, you know, the F-word.”

Lennox described herself as a “serial monogamist” and criticised men for “misogynistic” behaviour. “It’s just what guys do, apparently,” she added.

The star has previously attacked fellow celebrities who she believes have not stood up for women, such as Beyonce, whom she recently accused of practising “feminism lite”.

Fellow singer Miley Cyrus has also come under fire from the singer.

Lennox, who has sold tens of millions of albums worldwide both with Eurythmics and as a solo star, said she would not rule out plastic surgery, saying “nobody wants an ugly picture of themselves”. However, she said that she would rather stay natural than resemble women who look like a “frozen mask with lips and like they’ve been punched in the face”.

“Yes, I’m in good shape, but the ageing process accelerates,” she said. “A decade will turn me into the 1,900-year-old woman really quickly. In a way, I feel like if I can be the poster girl for the 60-year-old woman looking and feeling good, then great.”

But the singer said she could opt to ditch her trademark peroxide hair as she ages. “I don’t know [if I will keep it]. Probably not,” she said. “I don’t want to be mutton dressed as lamb. That would be so ludicrous.”