I can't do heels - I look like a cowboy in drag. I've a terrible gait, and I'm more at home in wellies, riding boots or trainers. With my dad being a farmer, I was raised in a welly.

It would come as quite a shock to my younger self that my first job was modelling. I was scouted, aged 18, when I went to Paris to visit my older sister, Yvonne, who was at uni there.

I don't have any regrets. There's no point regretting anything because everything that you do gives you more experience and potentially makes you a stronger person or a better person.

The late 1990s were good to me. I was doing the Lottery, GMTV and I had a good contract with ITV. But I was working so hard, I never had time to celebrate. I never thought I was lucky.

I've always been a family entertainer. Every show I have done has been suitable for any age - parents never need to worry that, if they pop out of the room, I'll say anything untoward.

If I'm interviewing someone I need to know everything about them - I do these massive spider diagrams. Everything under different categories, and certain questions in other categories.

I think because I came from a very strong news background and people were aware of me from that side of things, they appreciated me as a journalist. Maybe it was less difficult for me.

It sometimes takes me a fortnight to unpack. I find it so depressing. A bit of sand will come out of a shoe and it'll just take me back to where we were: lovely and relaxed on holiday.

People who earn reasonable amounts are being turned into the anti-Christ. I think 45 per cent tax is a colossal amount to take off somebody, and it is taking away the incentive to earn.

Believe me, there's nothing worse than the feeling in the pit of your stomach when you're sat in the back of a taxi, listening to someone else doing your show as you dash to the studio.

The lowlights... Sometimes you're away from home quite a lot, which can be difficult. It's not first class all the way, you don't stay in exotic hotels and have people running after you.

I've learned that the effort sportsmen and women put in is incredible. Their commitment to their sport is phenomenal. Sometimes as a viewer, as a sports fan, you only see the end result.

I hate birthdays. I hate birthday parties. I hate them. I don't know what it is, anybody's only got to come wafting near me with a piece of cake with a candle on and I break out in hives.

I worked very hard as a young journalist learning the trade and asking questions, understanding what a story is and being able to present that in a way that people would find interesting.

I would get fit after having each of my children but it was always slightly tainted with guilt because I would feel guilty if they were with a nanny or at nursery while I was working out.

Knowing that you're the one who's been rejected, God it makes you feel isolated. I defy anybody not to be a bit upset. I felt as though I'd walked into the house trailing all this baggage.

For many people a job is more than an income - it's an important part of who we are. So a career transition of any sort is one of the most unsettling experiences you can face in your life.

I didn't mean to be a TV presenter, I just hated modeling. It feels very odd that it's turned into this 'It-girl' thing. What does that even mean? I wear clothes and I go out. It's so weird.

My parents' marriage was very rocky. They were always arguing. When they split up when I was in my 20s, my brother and I were both delighted because we knew they weren't good for each other.

I don't think I'm really a rude person, but now I see myself on television, I think, 'Oh, God, that is a bit strong.' And I wonder if I've always been like that and I haven't been aware of it.

The people I want are very famous and very rich, and all I can offer them is a bit of exposure on TV and a bit of cash, so it's a miracle we get any guests at all. But we have been very lucky.

Ethiopia is engraved on my heart. I first went in 1973 because I heard of a terrible famine. They were denying it even as we got the film out. The coverage destroyed the emperor's credibility.

I was a barmaid for my mum for years, as we lived above a pub. I still can't hear the Heartbeat theme tune without breaking into a cold sweat, as it used to start at the same time as my shift.

If you go to most third world countries, the older woman dispenses advice to the arguing couple while other members of the family, or even the village, sit around and listen. It is no big deal.

Success is hard in general for most women. We now have such busy lives, and we're told we can do everything - you know, we can have the relationship and the marriage and the kids and the career.

I've been out with men who have literally had an argument with the mirror because they couldn't get their hair right. When I was younger, I might have reassured him, but I can't do that anymore.

Life is enhanced so much by dogs. When your kids get to an age where they don't want to cuddle you as much and you have to force them into a judo hold to get affection, you've got dogs for that.

Well, I was very lucky. I was brought up west southwest coast of Scotland and my mother and father had a music shop, and so I was surrounded by pianos and drums and guitars, and music, of course.

I know a lot of celebrity types go for Kabbalah and Scientology. But why pay 10 per cent of your earnings to someone when it's all common sense: treat others as you'd like to be treated yourself.

I tend to splurge on fancy dresses because I always think I'll get a lot of wear out of them, but it's false logic. You should really spend more money on the things you wear every day, like jeans.

I feel very lucky to have served under some great bosses. The majority of them were men, but I have also had a few women. In many ways, I feel like media is pretty neutral when it comes to gender.

In the days before I had kids I used to take six books with me for a fortnight's holiday. My suitcase used to be full of big trashy novels, maybe a bikini and some flip-flops. It was all I needed.

When I was in the business as a young performer, it was a recognised fact that when you got to 60 you were out, because there'd be a new crop of comics coming up all the time, every 10 years or so.

They're [sportsmen] willing to give up a lot of other things that perhaps we all enjoy doing: eating and drinking and playing or whatever. They give up an awful lot to perform at the highest level.

I've been learning French a bit through my work with Longchamp, and I've been in France quite a lot. And I really love how they express themselves. I especially love when something is untranslatable.

It's a lot of luck and being in the right place at the right time, that's what I think. Obviously you need to be noticed by people to be given the opportunities, and I think you do have to work hard.

If you don't act now while it's fresh in your mind, it will probably join the list of things you were always going to do but never quite got around to. Chances are you'll also miss some opportunities.

Daddy loves you, but he smacks you, and he can shout at you and smash things, but Daddy still loves you. So when you get into a relationship with someone who does all of that, why would it be unusual?

I love the '60s and sort of wish all design had stopped in 1967. That would be my dream. They were really just nailing it - everyone looked great - but then it started getting a bit slippery after that.

There are very few lows but lots and lots of highs. You're in an incredibly privileged position because you're able to go along to major sporting events and be ringside. You can see and hear everything.

My grandfather on one side was trained as a cabinetmaker but eventually worked as a coachbuilder and then built cars. I inherited from him a love of cars, but with no technical ability whatsoever, sadly!

I have worked and earned all my life and have found that divorce is an expensive process. Whichever way you look at it, you are going to halve your wealth. If you can avoid it, do. It is an awful process.

All my interesting stories are from before I was on television. Nothing interesting has happened to me since then. Maybe it's because the most interesting thing in my life is the show and that's on telly.

I was very nervous interviewing Genesis on Radio 2. I felt out of my depth and somebody tweeted afterwards: Sara Cox interviewing Genesis - what a waste. I was crushed, because I kind of knew it was true.

Your 20s are for partying, your 30s - if you choose to have kids or are lucky enough to have them - are when you give yourself over to childcare, and then in your 40s it just becomes about you a bit more.

When I was 16 I got a school holiday job at Minton's pottery factory in Staffordshire, packing plates. For a month's work, I was paid £44. Everything I now know about the birds and the bees, I learnt there.

I do lead a careful diet, I don't overeat, I have fruit and vegetables every day and I drink a lot of water. And my darling wife keeps me so young it is ridiculous. Being with her is an inspiration as well.

My mother and I were very close and even when I left home and came to London I would ring her every day. She was very proud of me and loved my celebrity. She would often come to shoots and TV shows with me.

My first car was a 1976 Toyota Corolla Liftback in red, like the one in 'The Blues Brothers.' I painted a Union Jack on the roof. I was absolutely in love with it until I destroyed it, which broke my heart!

London Fashion Week is so different from any of the others. Compared to the strictness in New York, London seems freer from commercial constraints. Truer to the process, to street style, to a sense of humour.

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