Francesca Annis

I've never been too afraid of what other people have said, especially when I was younger, but I suppose that was the arrogance of youth.

I was always going to be a dancer - I drifted into acting.

However successful you are, there is no substitute for a close relationship. We all need them.

The newspapers loved pinup pictures of pretty young swimmers, and as a national champion, I got more than my share of space in the sports pages.

I knew I wanted to be an actress as soon as I popped out.