Cherie Lunghi

“I grew up in a very political household. My mum used to shout at the television. At Mrs. Thatcher.”

“I can honestly say I love getting older. Then again, I never put my glasses on before looking in the mirror.”

“There's something about 'Strictly Come Dancing.' Everywhere I go, people wish me good luck; cabbies toot their horns. It's lovely. I have a theory: in straitened times, there's nothing like a bit of unapologetic escapism.”

“I'd see my daddy about once a month, and I missed him. I would have loved to have had more of him. He was tall, attractive and very quiet, very gentle. He had a wife who I don't think ever really liked me much.”

“I'm lucky to have very good genes. My mother was so tiny she was almost bird-like, and my father was tall and lean. Both lived until their early 80s.”

“I think it's nice to age gracefully. OK, you lose the youth, a certain stamina and dewy glow, but what you gain on the inside as a human being is wonderful: the wisdom, the acceptance and the peace of mind. It's a fair exchange.”

“I tried Botox, but I don't want to be hooked on that stuff.”

“I'd like to break some new ground, maybe in TV presenting, rather than just be an actress.”

“I come from a strong matriarchal line. I was raised by Gypsy, her sister, Mary, and my maternal grandmother. The result of not having my father live with us meant that, when it came to understanding the opposite sex, it was like working without a map.”

“With age comes a greater wisdom, an ease and comfort with oneself.”

“I've always loved dancing. As soon as there is good music, I've got to get up and dance. I was passionate about ballet as a little girl.”

“It's a bit of a headache being a perfectionist. You're never satisfied.”

“I've always been terrified about not having money. I've been a big saver and a big earner. When I've been out of work, I've always found another job. I never wanted to get into debt, because money was very tight when I was growing up. I never felt deprived, but I couldn't have the things I wanted.”

“Whitley Bay was my first experience of the seaside. I'd buy my bucket and spade, and beach ball, and all the shops were teeming with toys. I used to spend hours on the shuggy boats.”

“I have had big relationships. Three times in my life I have felt a special connection, but people talk about looking for love as if it's just like walking into a Starbucks and buying a coffee when you feel like it. It's rare, that special connection.”

“The advantage of age is that you swap youth for wisdom. You're so full of insecurities when you're young. 'Who am I? What do I have to do for people to like me?' You get caught up in things. You get very emotional about things.”

“I ski every three years or so. I don't have the ingrained confidence that others do, but I'll happily toddle about a green or blue run.”

“I am simply not such a slave to my vanity, and I don't want to be, because as you get older you really have to start accepting the inevitable.”

“War is good for absolutely nothing, because no matter how far and wide apart we may live, we're all the same under the skin. We all want to live, laugh and love.”

“I just want to say to women, 'Be yourself - it's the inner beauty that counts. You are your own best friend, the key to your own happiness, and as soon as you understand that - and it takes a few heartbreaks - you can be happy.'”