Bonnie Langford

“I'd got a part in the original cast of 'Cats' when I was 16, and that kept me going for a while. After that, I felt lost, both personally and professionally - I was trying to find a way not to be seen only as this bubbly, bright, vivacious person. It felt like I'd lost the freedom to make mistakes.”

“I love Monet: his 'Water Lilies' would look great on my wall. But would I prefer to see money helping kids get better from cancer rather than spending it on a work of art for my own personal indulgence? Yes, I probably would.”

“I was the shyest kid. I'd never speak, only if I had to. Honestly.”

“I used to hate my bottom because as a dancer, you're supposed to have nothing there.”

“'Dr Who' is an extraordinary association that I have because I didn't realise until I was in the show quite how worldwide it is and how popular and how dear it is to so many people's hearts.”

“I don't read reviews, and I try not to read articles about me. It taints your outlook: if you believe the good things, you've got to believe the bad things, too.”

“It's been said of me that I must get out of bed every morning and go cartwheeling down the road. Of course it's not true. There certainly was a time in my 20s when I wanted a bit of freedom, and I found that difficult, but if I'm ever having a time when I'm feeling sorry for myself, something always jolts me back.”

“The pushy showbiz kid thing was always the performance, not the person. I'm very solitary. I don't like socialising.”

“I go to the gym regularly, not just for the way I look but because it makes me less cranky, too.”

“I am probably more critical of myself than anyone else, I am very tiny - 5'1 and a half inches - so there's nowhere for weight to hide.”

“It's difficult to be a mother and maintain a career as a performer - but then it's difficult in any industry.”

“I'd never gone as a kid to an ice rink. There was always that fear that I'd break my leg and it would affect my career.”

“As a dancer, I've always checked my body constantly: 'Am I having a good day, or am I having a fat day?' I am probably more critical of myself than anyone else. I am very tiny - 5'1 and a half inches - so there's nowhere for weight to hide.”

“I see wrinkles and lines, and wear glasses to read, which I hate. But I am in a better place in my body than I used to be.”

“I just have to express myself somehow, either through singing, dance or fitness. You get sick of it; you have days where you think you don't want to do it, but generally after I've done something, I feel better. That's why I do the exercise: to earn my bar of chocolate and cappuccino.”

“As a dancer I've always checked my body constantly; 'Am I having a good day or am I having a fat day?'”

“Dance never really goes away; it just reforms and reinvents, and it's become more athletic with new connection to fitness and sport. Dance used to have this exclusivity, but not any more.”

“I'm the fussiest eater on earth; my husband despairs. I like chicken and pasta, and can't resist milk chocolate. I figure if you're going to do something naughty, make it really enjoyable.”

“Looking in the mirror is very strange; we see only what we choose to see, good or bad.”

“For years I used to try to straighten my hair, but I've reached a stage where I think, 'I've got red curly hair, and it's actually really great.'”