My parents wondered what to do with this insufferable show-off. They chose acting for me and I'm very grateful I can still make a living from it.

Its really good to have so distinctive a name as an actress. No one ever forgets it. My sister and brother are called Perdita and Rollo. Actually, my family calls me Hollyhocks.

Size zero doesn't make you happy and I'm not sure I have the discipline for Hollywood. I'm too much of a fan of chocolate and crisps.

My father was a tyrant about reading, and that put me off books when I was little.

Politics is not a game for naive thinkers. You may go in as an idealist, but you certainly won't come out as one.

When 'Foyle's War' ended in 2010 after seven series, I was sad but not despondent. After all, ITV had already axed the show once in 2007, then brought it back due to public demand.

A writer who’s a pro can take on almost any assignment, but if he or she doesn’t much care about the subject, I try to dissuade the writer, as in that case the book can be just plain hard labor.

So because you are converting it, you are winning back your time.

Take your million smiles through billion miles

Like every other good thing in this world, leisure and culture have to be paid for. Fortunately, however, it is not the leisured and the cultured who have to pay.

Observe your thoughts, don't believe them.

As a woman, we all want to feel attractive. We all want to feel that we're making the very best of ourselves so we can accept ourselves.

I was never upset that I did not get an Emmy. That I did get an Emmy nomination, I couldn't be happier and prouder.

It is painful to comprehend how the mind becomes fixed little by little as time goes by. The mind is the executioner of reality, the slayer of the true; the mind is the destroyer of love.

Understanding economics can help you make better decisions and lead a happier life.

Just because she's leaving, don't start believing, that your rock and roll days are gone.