I have been asked to lend people money - I now only ever give whatever amount is comfortable without thinking it will come back, otherwise when you see that person wearing a new coat or going on holiday you think but yes, where is my money?

I think that in a family some are workers some are not. I certainly saw my mother work very hard and be in charge and never show any kind of fear about business deals. Her golden rule was you should never be embarrassed talking about money and asking for what you deserved. I take the same view.

Sad old blokes, I'm told, now dream of me with a whip in hand.

I saw George Bush at a benefit concert actually waving at Stevie Wonder. Someone had to tell him, 'He can't see you.'

Every mother and daughter should make time for a trip together. It's good for the soul.

Believe me, I've done my time travelling the world in cramped conditions and carrying my own luggage. Now my leisure is summers in the south of France or the Hamptons, walking in Connemara, and year-round shopping in Manhattan and Paris.

I come from a family of traders; my grandmother and my mother were very good at making money.