I was sent to a nice Church of England girls' school and at that time, after university, a woman was expected to become a teacher, a nurse or a missionary - prior to marriage.

I keep telling myself to calm down, to take less of an interest in things and not to get so excited, but I still care a lot about liberty, freedom of speech and expression, and fairness in journalism.

I've never been one to sit around and eat my heart out. Life's too short.

Having had loving people who brought me up, and then I find another set of people. That really is a double blessing.

But in the first Gulf war the United Kingdom was not under any threat from Iraq, and is still less so in the second one. Then there is no justification for obstructing freedom of information, particularly as nations have a right to know what their soldiers are being used for.

I have never been attracted to any kind of violence.

I also read modern novels - I have just had to read 60 as I am one of the judges for the Orange Fiction Prize.