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.

What luxury would I take to a desert island? A mirror. It's true. I'd miss me.

It was like orderin a hamburger and getting only the buns

The best way to kill someone is from the inside, by crushing their hopes and dreams.

I honestly can't ever imagine retiring because I don't know what else I would do - even when I'm on holiday, 70% of the time I'm working. I think I'd like to go out on the job so, ideally, 'And the winner is... Ooooh, and he's gone!'

You sounded like Dolly parton on helium." (After kristy lee cook of season 7 on american idol,sang her country rendition of the Beatles'"Eight Days A Week.)

For the music business, social networking is brilliant. Just when you think it's doom and gloom and you have to spend millions of pounds on marketing and this and that, you have this amazing thing now called fan power. The whole world is linked through a laptop. It's amazing. And it's free. I love it. It's absolutely brilliant.