One Hundred Lengths of the Pool
What can you tell us about your new book One Hundred Lengths of the Pool?
One Hundred Lengths of the Pool is not really an autobiography it is a series of stories from my life, professional and personal, and each story has a number associated with it which corresponds to the lengths of the pool I used to swim to keep fit. It is not written in chronological order, so Chapter 1 is not about my birth, it is my number in numerology, and Chapter 2 is about coming second in a story writing competition when I was ten years old. Originally the book had one hundred chapters but I had to add Chapter 101 after being diagnosed with a rare type of leukaemia when I had only a couple of chapters left to write.
When did you first know that you wanted to be on TV?
When I was a very young child, probably around 1960, I watched the Miss World competition on our black and white television set and told my grandma that I wanted to be Miss World. Perhaps that is the first time I showed an interest in being on television, but it wasn't until twenty years later that I made it to the small screen, initially in television advertisements.
When you first found out you had polio what was your reaction?
I was diagnosed with polio at fourteen months so I have no recollection of it at all. The sequence of events, as told in Chapter 14 of the book, relies entirely on the awful memories my parents have of that time. I can't remember wearing a calliper but I did know from early childhood that there was something different about my left leg. I think I first realised the consequences of what I had survived when I wanted to audition for the Royal Ballet School at age ten and my mum told me that I would not be accepted because of the imbalance in my body.
Why did you decide to take up dancing when it was against others' wishes?
My mum had taken me to ballet class as a three year old to strengthen the wasted muscles on the left side of my body from the waist down. I loved dancing and performing on stage but I am not sure that my dad thought I would be able to make it as a professional dancer and neither did my careers teacher at school. They were both keen for me to stay on at school to do A levels and then go on to university but , with support from my mum, I had other ideas. I believe that you should follow your dream and my dream was to be a professional dancer despite my disability.
You have worked as a DJ, presenter, singer and actress, so which experience have you enjoyed the most?
I have loved every aspect of my career in the entertainment industry however, if I have to choose, I would say I am most suited to presenting as I can just be myself.
When did the idea of the layout of the book come into play of a length for every significant event?
One Hundred Lengths of the Pool didn't start out as an idea for a book; it was my fitness regime when staying at my former holiday home in Spain. Swimming lengths can be a little monotonous so I used to think of things that had happened in my life to keep my mind occupied while I swam and to help me keep count. In July 2011 I had a 'light bulb moment' while I was swimming. I could turn my thoughts into the book I had always wanted to write.
When and why did you decide to write your life story down in a book?
The idea to write an autobiography really came from the QVC viewers. Whenever I met viewers at events they would always ask what I had done before joining QVC. When I told them I had been a dancer or a hostess on the Price is Right or competed in the Song for Europe competition the response was always the same.... 'I didn't know you did that, you should write a book'. In retail the customer is always right.
What do you hope for your readers after they read your book?
The main thing I would like is that anyone who reads the book enjoys it, both the stories and the unusual way it is laid out. So far I have had a very good response as people like to be able to pick it up and read odd chapters at random. I think a lot of readers will identify with going to ballet class, losing loved ones and having pet names for their cars. I also hope that I might be able to inspire people to deal with the adversities that life throws at them. After surviving polio and coping with a massive psoriasis flare up, which I feared might put an end to my television career; I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia, a quite rare type of blood cancer, a year ago. It has been a difficult year but I have coped, taking fewer sick days with my leukaemia than with a recent bout of flu. I believe the saying 'that which does not kill us makes us stronger' with all my heart, and I hope I can encourage others facing difficulties in their lives to believe too.
What do you think is it about you that watchers of QVC find so appealing as a presenter?
I am quite down to earth. I am a mum of two grown up children, I cook, clean, garden and have even mixed cement when required. People invite me into their homes when they flick on QVC and I like to think it is almost like having a friend round for coffee. I offer my honest opinions about the products I present and people have grown to trust me over the last nineteen years or so.
What is next for you?
I am looking forward to celebrating twenty years with QVC in September this year, but I also intend to keep writing now that I have been published. My next book is a novel which I have already plotted and developed the characters for; I just need to find the time to write it. I also want to dedicate more time to raising money for two charities of particular significance to me. Rotary International's 'End Polio Now' campaign and Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.
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