Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
When I turned 40, I noticed I couldn't read the label on the back of a jar of food - it turned to be the result of presbyopia where the lens of the eye loses its ability to focus on near objects due to age. So now I wear multifocal contact lenses - and they've been a real blessing.
There isn't really a typical day in my life, I kind of wish there was, but it always starts too early, there are always lots of children running around, normally my own and not just random children, and there'll be the routine of the school run and walking the dog to start the day.
On the day of the game you get there quite early, about 10 o'clock for a 3 o'clock kick-off, because you do a little bit of filming early on. You need to meet the crew and they need to have time to get a cup of tea and all those things the crew like to do before they go out filming.
You see history in the making and that is definitely the highlight. You get to meet these amazing sportsmen and women, and see them develop as individuals. You get to meet them when they're first coming into their sport. You watch them develop and you build up relationships with them.
You have to trust your instincts and know that the right question or the right answer will come to you. You don’t always have to have the solution to the problem; sometimes it’s very interesting to watch somebody go through the process of solving the problem, but it’s got to be truthful.
Richard Branson once said: 'Tony's very good at selling bands and he's very good at making television programmes. But he'll never be great at either, until he decides which one he wants to do.' I entirely accept that. That doesn't matter to me very much. I like the irony of the two lives.
Stick to the classics, and you can't ever go wrong. I see old ladies on the street who have fabulous style and realize it's because they are probably wearing really classic items that they've had for years and years. I think if you find something that suits you, you should just stick to it.
As it is, the grotesque distortions of the global market mean that for every dollar the West dispatches to Africa in the form of aid, two dollars are clawed back through subsidies and tariff barriers: a monumental rip-off by the rich as they instruct the poor to accept 'free' trade or else.
One wise decision I made was buying a plot of land with planning permission in Richmond, and building my own five-bedroom home on it. I sold three years after I completed the building and more than doubled my money. I like Richmond and always have my eyes open for other properties in the area.
The secret to a happy marriage is if you can be at peace with someone within four walls, if you are content because the one you love is near to you, either upstairs or downstairs, or in the same room, and you feel that warmth that you don't find very often, then that is what love is all about.
In the old days, variety turns like me learned how to cope with failure - we all had nights when we 'died' on stage - but today's youngsters simply don't have that experience. For them, it really is instant make or break time - hence, all the tears and, hence, all the potential emotional damage.
It's not just the kid who's spent every penny from his job to upgrade his car to tell the world he cares about sports cars, it's also the person driving around in a fuel-conscious hybrid electric car, because it's more a message to the world than an effective means of saving fuel, to be quite honest.
At home in Devon, my wife Jessica does a huge proportion of the cooking - I do the basics. My timing is extremely good, particularly when it comes to vegetables, perhaps because in my work, timing is everything. I know exactly what fits into a minute when broadcasting, and I apply the same to carrots.
I don't wear much make up, but always have a bit of sheen on my cheeks, curled lashes, mascara and a bit of lip gloss. When it comes to hair styling I use Pantene Pro-V. The new Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light products are perfect for my hair, as it still gives it gorgeous condition but doesn't weigh it down.
My brain is a big cluster of stuff. It moves quickly and loses focus quickly, so I need many projects to keep me stimulated - it's a luxury to be able to do lots of different things: style, write, present, DJ or just consult. It can't be any other way; I think I would shrivel up and fall asleep forever.
I met my darling wife Wilnelia in 1980 when we were on the judging panel for the Miss World contest at the Royal Albert Hall. With two ex-wives and five daughters, I thought I wouldn't be involved with anyone for a long time - if ever. Winnie was so gorgeous, my jaw dropped - and it's a big jaw to drop.
You've given it some thought, you've tried to prepare as well as you can, but you're reacting to what you see so you can't really prepare that much. It's purely live broadcasting which is very nerve-wracking but hugely rewarding. The game finishes and eventually, maybe an hour later, you're all finished.
Again and again I've taken quick glances and then for some reason I've got to sit before a picture waiting and it's opened up like one of those Japanese flowers that you put into water and something I thought wasn't worth more than a casual, respectful glance begins to open up depth after depth of meaning.
It's shot by Ben Rayner who I think is very talented at doing portrait photography as well as fashion photography. His images never look like a model. You know, it doesn't look like a faceless model just wearing whatever. There's always personality that comes through. That was quite important for me to capture.
I don't know if other people have found it difficult relating to me, certainly that's not the feedback I've had. I don't think of myself particularly as a woman working in sport. I think of myself as a broadcaster, a journalist, and the right person for the job, regardless of whether I happen to be female or male.
If you are a rich person straining every sinew to keep every last pound in your pocket, there comes a point when you realize you are not just escaping the clutches of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. You are passing a greater burden on to people poorer than yourself, and depriving even poorer people of your support.
I'll have spent most of the day before the match doing some preparation. That's a little bit like studying for your exams. You need to know the personalities involved, what the stories are surrounding the game and how they've come into this game. You do a lot of preparation. I like to go in knowing more than I need.
I am now certain that we have no alternative but to reduce urgently the levels of carbon that we are still pumping into the atmosphere as though tomorrow simply didn't matter. If we don't act collectively and individually, our children and their children will reap a whirlwind which will obliterate their civilisation.
I think it's about time people stopped judging women on their appearance and more on their intellect. Like you can appreciate my style without having to appreciate my weight. It's not actually mutually exclusive. I just get frustrated because just because I exist in this shape doesn't mean that I'm like advocating it.
In the 80s, mum used to make a beautiful beef in red wine sauce, which I thought very exotic. And an incredible chilli con carne, with baked beans so it wasn't too spicy for us. Later, when I asked for the recipes, she said: 'I don't know - they were Colman's or Schwartz's packet mixes.' It completely ruined it for me.
I always have SK-II face masks in the fridge - they are excellent especially if you've been on a plane and your skin is puffy. I also love Rodin face oil with jasmine - it's delicious and gives you a real glow. I always use Chanel eye cream. I go to have my eyebrows waxed and lashes tinted, and then I always curl my eyelashes.
I think it's something that you learn to deal with the more experienced you become. When I first presented live news, which was 12 years ago, I was very inexperienced and probably didn't deal with the pressure as well. I used to breathe very shallow when I was presenting and you could hear it in my voice and see it in my face.
The good is where American dream is alive and kicking. You can be any race, religion, color, creed, sexual orientation - it doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. If you have a talent and you have a passion and you're prepared to work hard, you can be anything you want to be. That's what I like about being in America.
I was always interested in sport. My family are big sports' fans. We always had all the locals round watching big sporting events. I wasn't particularly sporty myself. I played a lot of hockey and rode, still do ride, but I just had a general interest in it. When I was given the opportunity to do sport stories I used to grab them.
As long as I'm working in sport, enjoying it and getting to see some wonderful sporting events, I'm quite happy. I don't want to be really famous. I don't want people to stop me in the street. I want to just enjoy the work, work with lovely people, work on good quality sport and get to experience some more of these amazing moments.
If you've got a desire to achieve something, then keep going until you achieve it. It's not always possible and things might change - circumstances may change or adversity or obstacles may come your way - but keep trying. I feel that I've tried to do that in my life and it's something that I've tried to pass on to my children as well.
I'm in love with lots of different things. I do love love, though. I don't think love should make you feel uneasy. When you feel sick, I don't think that's love - that's infatuation. Someone who makes you feel like that is exciting - it's the one that you imagine when you think of an amazing affair - but that's not actually a stable love.
Often, there is a job - say, for a voiceover or an appearance - and you think: 'Blimey!' From the outside it would seem like you are being paid a lot for a short amount of your time. It would be inappropriate to share how much they pay, but in the industry we call it 'doing a bank raid'. Unfortunately, those jobs do not happen every week.
Women in the public eye and on TV are often scrutinized for how they look so I know how easy it would be to fall into the trap of taking on board this negativity. The healthiest way for me to deal with it is by being fit and healthy through activities like swimming, which helps me focus on what my body can do rather than what it looks like.
When you've been brought up in variety, I think timing is always important in your life. If I'm ever late for anything, whether it's personal or business, I always apologise. 'I'm sorry I'm late,' and all that. And if somebody is late meeting me, I expect them to say 'I'm sorry I'm late.' It's just, shall we say, showbiz etiquette of my day.
If you've done your preparation and you know the team of people that you're working with, then it makes life an awful lot easier. I still get nervous all the time. I think the best thing to do is to take a deep breath, make it simple, know what you're talking about, don't try and be fancy, don't try and be clever and just enjoy the experience.
I think as a woman, the more you embrace who you are, and your own opinions, and how you feel, and the body you have been given- I think the more confident you are and the more beautiful you look. I definitely feel that my confidence has grown as I've entered my 30s. I have my own opinion - it's very valid - and that shows on the outside as well.
That came from my mother. She was the biggest influence on my life. I remember once refusing to get on a bus with her because she was wearing a mink, and I thought we should be taking a taxi. She just said, 'Who cares what people think?' and I remember sitting on that bus, being utterly embarrassed, but knowing somehow that she was totally correct.
I think Ugg went out of being something that Kate Moss and Sienna Miller were wearing in high fashion circles and then they were embraced by everyone. Once something reaches that tipping point of mass popularity then suddenly the fashion world is a bit like, "Wah." As you say, you see them less kind of everywhere now so maybe it's time to bring them back.
On the same Australian trip, I brought back a pair [of Ugg] for my then boyfriend who was a photographer. He wore them all the time. He used to wear them with Levis twisted jeans and a vintage T-shirt. This is 2002. They looked great on him. I guess it takes a certain kind of man to pull them off but they have other ones that are less typical of this, I think.
I didn't go to university. They offered me a job as a junior reporter and I went off to work for the Southern Reporter. They sent me to college to do my NCTJ, which is a professional exam for journalists, and I started work as a print journalist purely because I was just a pest. They couldn't think of anything other than giving me a job to stop me hanging around.
I actually found out about Ugg on a trip to Australia, which I guess is where they were born themselves. Everyone was wearing them there, kind of slightly ahead of when they caught on globally. This was in 2002 or so. Just after I left sixth form I was modeling and my best mate was Australian so I went over there to visit her. That was my introduction to the brand.
During the game, we never sit down. Not only is there action on the field, but we also have to cover the half-time show and interview all the celebrities attending. But once it's all over, it's a pretty satisfying feeling. My team and I love delivering an exciting and all-encompassing story the next day for our viewers. We want them to see and experience all that we did.
I think because I do model for brands but it's never without input, ever. With AG I front their campaign, and obviously designed the collection for them. I did the same back in the day with Madewell. Even with Longchamp, there's a certain amount of collaboration on deciding on photographers and stuff like that. It's something that I'm accustomed to doing behind the scenes.
People expect you to be with stars like Beyoncé. Obviously she's amazing, but you can't get starstruck as there's too much build-up to it. It's like, 'Clear the corridor so she can walk down it!' And she's like some fembot. There's too much faff and you end up thinking, 'Who cares?' If I was chatting to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall about chickens I'd be much more excited, as I love him.
At the other end of the scale I was there with a whole lot of young British athletes so I was getting to see them take their first steps on the international ladder. I'd like to think maybe in five years time I'll look back and I'll forget all about the lost luggage and I'll forget about the horrible hotel, but I'll remember these wonderful athletes stepping onto the track for the first time.
I just think that whole culture of hatred, and also feeling like it's your right to judge people when you don't know them, is really f***ed up. So I'm pleased I experienced that side of it, so I can learn to be a better person on the other side of it. I'm sure in the past I've been judgmental too ... Self esteem, that's something you've got to work on yourself. I know for me it's different day to day.
Hair is so linked to how we feel and everyone goes for something radical after a break-up, but my advice if you've suffered heartbreak or you’ve broken up with someone is not to touch your hair. It's the first thing women do but you're not in a fit state to make long-term decisions. You'll have to spend four years growing it out. Buy a lipstick instead. Go and kiss loads of other people, but don't f***ing touch your hair.
Leading up to a live event you need to do your homework and go to bed early. Sometimes it's very tempting to go out with everybody else, They're all going to a party or going out for a nice meal and you think 'oh well I'd like to go', but sometimes you think 'no, if I'm going to be sitting in front of a camera under a light in everybody's home tomorrow I don't want big bags under my eyes and not really know what I'm talking about'.
Ask any Ferrari, Porsche or Ray-Ban salesperson about their average customer and you will very likely hear that he is not, as the adverts would have us believe, a virile young footballer with shiny hair, a rippling six pack and a trouser pouch like a new punch bag. He is, in fact, a middle-aged bloke wearing more chins than he started life with and carrying the clear evidence of forty years of beer and pies slung across his midriff.