Shilpa Shetty

Not coming from a film background, be it a teeny-weeny role or a big role, I have done it with a lot of dignity and fought my way through. But the only thing that kept me going is that I am the sort of person who doesn't take no for an answer. If someone rejects me, I will be out to prove that person wrong in my own way.

When people spot me, they are really warm. They acknowledge me with smiles and come up, even now, to tell me that I showed a lot of dignity in 'Big Brother.' Or they say, 'I voted for you to win!' which is really sweet.

I find cooking very therapeutic. As a creative person, I relish cooking because it's such a creative process. You can cook anything out of anything.

I have huge respect for women who go out of their homes and have the courage to make their own destiny. And let me tell you, Indian women are doing a great job. There are those who work because they have no option but to earn, and then there are those who do it because they have the right talent. I respect both.

I don't want to do anything and everything. I want to be a brand that, every time I leverage my name, I want people to feel sure that it's going to be something good - so whether it be my movies, my perfume, my restaurant, my musical, it'll be good work, good food and good everything.

I've been through my fair share of highs and lows. Yes, I've been written off, and it amazes me, and it amuses me, also, when I'm written off by the press cause then I tell them that's just the lull before the storm. And every time I've been down, I've been down, never out. So it just makes me work a lot harder.