Because we had no money when I was growing up, when I started dancing, I wasn't allowed to be frivolous - my mum made me go to every lesson because she was paying for it.

As soon as I started dancing at 14, I knew I was always going to be a professional dancer.

When you dance together, there's a fabulous interaction. It's quite intimate. You're touching your partner, leading them. Learning how to behave in that person's proximity is a skill. I love it. I can't imagine tiring of it.

Strictly' is a bit like scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup Final or sinking the final putt in the Ryder Cup - only a few people get the opportunity to do it, and they have got to be famous.

The bias against introversion leads to a colossal waste of talent, energy, and happiness.

The joy of acting for me is to be able to experience emotions in a safe environment. You can't scream and cry in the street because everybody will look. If you do it on a movie set, you get applauded.

No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change.

I am an optimist. I think, as bad as life sometimes gets, there is so much joy and so much good stuff, that there is a balance.