Samantha Barks

I just sing the songs that people don't expect you to sing, because I just love having fun at karaoke and I'm always a bit nervous to sing something serious.

If I wasn't performing, I wasn't alive. That's the truth. My parents had absolutely no interest in the business, but they knew it made me happy, so they said 'Go for it, girl!'

I began with dance, doing ballet at 3, then tap, jazz, modern. Then I sang in church choirs, learned how to play clarinet and drums, sang with rock bands and only then did I get into musical theatre.

My first career ambitions involved turning into a boy; I intended to be either a railway guard or a knight errant.

But with each passing year and each new study, the evidence for the genetic contribution to individual and group differences becomes more firmly established than ever.

When I do an operation, it's half a dozen people. When it goes beautifully, it's like a symphony, with everybody playing their part.