A biography for Mary Nightingalehasn’t been written yet.
“Hyams Beach is said to be the whitest in the world; walking on it is like wading through warm powdery snow - so clean it squeaks beneath your bare toes.”
“When I entered my first newsroom in the late 80s it was packed with young people, a fairly balanced ratio of men and women, working as fixers, sub-editors, presenters and producers. Everyone was committed to the job, and equally ambitious.”
“I was a decent cook - competent enough to turn out the standard Eighties chalet fare: beef Wellington, banoffee pie, Delia's chocolate bread-and-butter pudding - but it wasn't haute cuisine.”
“Once you have children, the years slide by so quickly.”
“I became a chalet girl for one simple reason: I couldn't afford to go skiing. I had got the bug when I worked as an au pair in the Alps, before university.”
“It doesn't matter what you look like. If you can't do the job you will soon be found out.”
“I am 47; I think I must be one of the oldest female newscasters on telly. There's not many of us who still get to work regularly for this long.”
“There is a choice you can make. You can want to be a firework and are comfortable with fame. You love it and you want to wear nice dresses and do all that stuff. I don't want to do things like that.”
“I didn't come from the sort of family where Daddy would provide - so I had to work.”
“'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier was the first grown-up book I read, when I was aged about 12.”
“I'm a good dressmaker. When I was a student I made all my own clothes, and earned good money making ball gowns and wedding dresses for my friends.”
“It's still acceptable for male presenters to appear elderly but not their female counterparts. You will never find an old woman and a young man presenting combo.”
“It's not your job to be warm on the news; you can be empathetic, but you can't emote. That can be difficult sometimes - but it is my job not to cry.”
“It was a deliberate policy not to invite Hello!' into my home. I could have done that stuff and made a lot of money, but I've never regretted not doing it.”
“I've always got loads on my plate, so I should concentrate on fewer things. I take multitasking to a ridiculous degree.”
“For me, weekends are more for unwinding than going out on the town.”
“I was offered a screen test for a business show on Japanese TV. I did it for a laugh, really, and I got the job. It turned out to be a pretty brave yet brilliant decision.”
“It is with enormous regret that I have decided to leave Wish You Were Here?' after two very happy years as its presenter. It was always my intention to do two years on this wonderful program and now it is time for me to move on to other things.”
“I think you should keep your head down and do your job and shut up It's the news, it's not about me.”
“There's not a pie that I don't like.”