I find that I put my body in my work when I am at a particularly difficult or joyous point because I want to feel that moment.

I wanted to become an artist because it meant endless possibilities. Art was a way of reinventing myself.

People in love don't see gender, colour or religion. Or age. It's about the other person, the one that you love and who loves you. You don't think of them in terms of a label. You just go with your heart.

I never thought of having cancer as something that was unfair. I just braced myself and tried to get through it.

Sometimes when you're looking at your own work, you can't really see, and it's only when you step back a little bit later that you think, "Oh, that's completely in line with everything else I've done".

One of the few times I saw my mother cry was when Lennon died, and the other time was when Elvis died.

I feel the art world in New York has a stronger following than Britain. If you go to a New York art district on a Saturday morning, it will be so busy with families and openings - art is much more ingrained in the culture.