I have been luckier than anyone I know or even heard of. I had a very happy childhood, a good education, I enjoyed working as a teacher, journalist and author. I have loved a wonderful man for over 33 years, and I believe he loves me, too.

We have to make our own happiness, and we have to make our own decisions and play the hand that is dealt to us.

I'm particularly fond of boned chicken breasts with a little garlic under the flesh and cooked in a casserole for 40 minutes with a jar of olives, some cherry tomatoes and a spoonful of olive oil.

We're nothing if we're not loved. When you meet somebody who is more important to you than yourself, that has to be the most important thing.

You can't lay down laws for what people think and hope.

Of course, I should have done what doctors said and walked for miles every day and not eaten great amounts of butter. But then, life is life, and if we all did what they said we should do, it would be a different world.

I'm a great will maker. I've made my will every year since I was 21.