And I used to write novels and little stories and compositions and I - but I put them away because I started acting when I was 17. So there wasn't much time.

Botox, I think, is poison, I would never put it into my face, and I'm needle-phobic. I spend a lot of time keeping my face out of the sun and taking care of my skin and wearing make-up.

My mother was a domestic goddess and Mother Earth figure. She was sweet and placid - just what the perfect wife was supposed to be and I was determined not to be.

We live in a quick-fix society where we need instant gratification for everything. Too fat? Get lipo-sucked. Stringy hair? Glue on extensions. Wrinkles and lines? Head to the beauty shop for a pot of the latest miracle skin stuff. It's all a beautiful £1 billion con foisted upon insecure women by canny cosmetic conglomerates.

I don't buy into you're on the slag heap when you're 40 or 50 or 60 or 70 or whatever.

My mother use to call me 'Miss Perpetual Motion' because I rarely keep still.

I've always maintained that there is a very fine line between a daring, sexy older woman and mutton dressed as lamb.