Kate O'Mara

I used to play a lot of foreign women in my youth because I was prettier then. I would go for interviews, and directors would look at these sultry, exotic looks, hear this clipped accent and think the two don't go together. So they would give me a foreign accent.

Because my career has been based so much on my looks, when I finally pass my 'sell-by' date, I think I'll probably pack it in. Unless I make the changeover into playing witches or something, I don't see what career I can have.

The trouble with some cooking is that the real flavours get cancelled out by the wine, cream, and butter sauces.

The ghastly thing about being a producer is that, once the curtain goes up, there is nothing you can do. At least when you are in it, you have some measure of control. If something goes wrong, you can maybe put it right. When you are in the audience, there is nothing you can do.

I never drink cow's milk; I always opt for the soya alternative, and when I eat most dairy products, it tends to be in extremely small doses. However, being a vegetarian means I have to get protein from somewhere, so I do eat eggs and cheese about once a week.

I have tried Botox, and I don't like it because it stops you being able to move your facial muscles which, as an actress, are essential. But I do have collagen injections.

I was asked to do 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here,' and I said: 'No thank you.'

If you put a much older woman in 'Doctor Who,' they can identify with it. I think it's quite an interesting concept, and if you remember things like 'Grimm's Fairytales,' the older woman is often the villainess, often the terrifying figure - why I do not know, but often she is. I think it's an idea to be exploited.

I love the Wendy Syred boutique in Taunton. She has fantastic off-the-wall stuff, such as Vivienne Westwood. And I always have huge success in Omah Shoes, which is also in Taunton. I've got such small feet - three and a half - but I always find my size there.

What really interests me is how a woman who has had a bad experience with a man comes through it and gets a new life. I feel you have to be positive. You have to say, 'Look, okay, he's ditched you, but there's life after.'

Why should anyone be interested in my life? It's the prurience I find so extraordinary. Why, why, oh why should my private life be of any interest to the public? The only people who should be interested are my friends.

I've been vegetarian for virtually all of my adult life, and I do adopt a very strict health regime.