I have to say that those nine years were full of turmoil and drama and trauma to me, in actual fact.

If you feel well and happy, your face will reflect this, but if you are down in the dumps and having a miserable time, your face will soon show this, too. In fact, you get the face you deserve by the time you're forty, and one of the keys to looking and feeling younger is being active.

From the age of 17 I was a pin-up girl. I did it for 30 years and, quite frankly, it gets a bit boring.

Isn't three quarters of life a guilty pleasure?

My parents instilled in me that life was going to be very difficult and that I'd have to work for everything.

I'm a fiend for costume jewellery and have countless pairs of rhinestone or diamante earrings, which are so flattering when they catch the light. I love the designers Alexis Bittar and Kenneth Jay Lane, and I always go to jewellers Butler & Wilson.

I have always tried to live my life with enthusiasm and pleasure.