I could have taken the easy life and just done classical, but I felt very strongly about the album, my first pop album, the first time that I'd fused so many influences. I was very proud when it was in the charts in 25 countries at once.

To even get to the Olympics, I have to qualify for the 2013 World Championships and the standard is high. I know I am always going to be a few points behind the top guys.

Violin playing is a physical art with great traditions behind it.

But I still think it's mind over matter in the sense that if you're strong, you can combat anything.

When I hit my 20s, I took a chill pill and relaxed because throughout my teens I was churning out an album a year. It was a treadmill of work then recording, promoting and touring.

For example, I loved English and history at school. I would have loved to have done a degree in either. But my Mom said I didn't have time for university.

In an ideal world, I'd spend every weekend at my home in Zermatt in Switzerland.