My dad said to me, 'Work hard and be patient.' It was the best advice he ever gave me. You have to put the hours in.

I don't like kids that are pushed into things by stage mums, but when I can see they are having a good time, they're excited and enjoying the process, then I think it's wrong to discriminate.

Normally if I go to one of these things I'm in and out in five minutes, but at Pride of Britain I stay to the end. It's a fantastic show. But it's incredibly hard on the night when you meet all the kids and hear their stories. They do get to you.

I met someone the other night who's 28 years old, and he hasn't worked a day since he left college because he's pursuing a dream he'll never, ever realize: He thinks he's a great singer. Actually, he's crap.

Well, it's basically the viewers who determine it. We - well, basically the producers and myself chose the people we felt had the best reaction, you know, through the press, the Internet, the people we thought deserved a second chance. And they've chosen a winner, I believe.

The biggest shock when I lost it all was the realization that so much of my life had been out of my control. When I started to make the money back, I vowed that it would never happen again. I bought things only when I could afford them. There was no big mortgage, no cars on hire purchase. I remember buying a TR6 sports car for £6,000, and funnily enough it gave me more pleasure than the Porsche ever had.

Talking to celebrities is too much effort. They all think the same.