I'm a light sleeper, but so long as I'm wearing earplugs, I sleep well.

I'm a very physical person. I like to run and I like to work out.

I'm no angel.

I'm not scared of snakes, spiders or heights. I have three children; as a mum, you can't be afraid of things like that.

I'm very organised these days, and I keep my life in my handbag, like most women.

The ideal man doesn't exist. A husband is easier to find.

The worst thing in the world is to be tired.

There are so many young women who throw their talent away.

Think of your pension and start saving. Like my father, I have been a spendthrift, and I regret that.

As for the stage fright, it never goes away. When I'm waiting in the wings to go on, it's agony every single time but I stay focused and I know that once I'm on stage it'll be fine; I'll be in my happy little bubble.

Back then I was called Dumbo because of my ears. I was called Fatty, too. It was hurtful so I became like the class clown. I became the one who was kicked around.

I am planning my one woman show. It will be a showcase of my life. It starts at the beginning and ends where I am today. It will have every single inch of my life - as much as you can get into an hour. I will be touring everywhere.

I had a husband who, I'm convinced, was an undiagnosed manic depressive. He didn't treat me as if I had a brain - I was just this beautiful little doll he could show off.

I tried the Atkins diet in the Seventies when pregnant with my son, as I didn't want to pile on the pounds. Now, so long as I'm healthy, I don't care what my scales say.

I used to smoke cigarettes, ten a day, but gave up when I was 28. Now my vice is several cups of coffee a day, which isn't great if you're prone to weak bones as I am, as caffeine can leach calcium.

I was never particularly wild, just very busy and often didn't think about what I was putting into my body. Today things are very different. I stopped smoking in my late 30s; I avoid wheat and gluten as this makes me feel bloated and sluggish; exercise regularly and bounce out of bed.

I'd been a housewife and mother to our son Thomas Jefferson, and I was looking for a new career. So when my agent called and said a producer named Paul Elliott from E&B productions, the biggest panto company in the country at the time, wanted to meet me I agreed.

I've been doing Pilates since 1974, I lift weights, I power walk every day and I run backwards. That's sometimes a little hard when you're not on your home turf, because you've got to find a place where there are no bumps in the way - or people.

Little bitty bags are completely impractical - I like big slouchy bags because they have to be comfortable for my lovely wee Chihuahua Tequila, who comes everywhere with me. I'm devoted to him, now my kids have long since flown the nest.

My father had his own business, a clothing store, which he inherited from his father. He travelled abroad frequently and was quite extravagant, so we had skiing holidays and summer holidays on the beach.