British Culture Secretary, Chris Smith, appointed her as the new Chair of the British Film Institute in 1999. She has been a BFI Governor since 1994, and served as Deputy Chair to Alan Parker , now Chairman of the newly formed industry organisation, the Film Council.In the early 1960s had an extra-marital affair with writer Harold Pinter . Later Pinter went on to write what became the movie Betrayal (1983) which told the story of their affair.She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) before being awarded the Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honors List for her services to journalism and the arts.