If I was sad or afraid, I would sit in a corner and sing. If I was happy I would jump into the middle of the room and sing. It was how I expressed my emotions.

How you looked was not important. It was what you did and how you did it. Decide to do it and then do it the best way you can.

All children are my children.

When I started to work with UNICEF, it was a new way of giving some love and care to the world.

For my convalescence, I had to exercise my voice only with vowels. It is a medical rule after a long loss of voice.

Once I was condemned to three months' absolute silence. As I could not speak, I wrote a book.

I left the table where there were important people and had lunch with my husband and a few friends. The reception was organised in my honour, so it was rather amusing.