I wanted above all else not to be like my mum.

I'm massively talented, and very, very beautiful in person; the public don't really realise that.

I read "Pride and Prejudice" [by Jane Austen]. I was gobsmacked by it - it's so funny and so modern. Unbelievable. You don't expect funny to come through after 200 years - humor doesn't transcend decades, let alone centuries.

Sixty felt like a big landmark. Not in a dreadful sense, but none of the other birthdays have bothered me. It's got labels on it - OAP, retirement - and I just wanted to take stock. I wanted to be in my greenhouse at home and at least give myself the opportunity of not working again.

Self worth is everything. Without it life is a misery.

I'd like to think there'll be too much of real life going on for me to want to do much acting.

The characters do have a life of their own; it's weird.