Dido Armstrong

Looking back, I think that's why I did music. I'd get home from school and the house would be so quiet. ”

I like being a strong, independent woman, and to be honest, I was never afraid to be on my own. ”

In fact, I'd just like to own something. Everyone thinks I'm glamorous, rich and famous but all I've got is some recording equipment and a battered old BMW. ”

I really enjoy being single again. I spent a lot of time in a relationship and the nearer we came to the end, the more difficult it got. You don't see things clearly as long as you're still involved. ”

Life for rent means that my life isn't really my own, I only rented it for a while, but if I don't manage to buy it, to own it, then nothing of what I think is mine is really mine. ”

I spent a lot of my childhood in my own head, making up stories. I didn't have a lot of outside influences, so I was able to make my own decisions about what I wanted to do. ”

My dad's Irish music was such a huge influence. ”

It's actually amazing because you go so far into another side of your brain when you're studying something completely different, and I loved it. ”

Thirty is not an age for a woman anymore. ”

I feel very warm towards Mum and Dad for giving us the independence they did. My childhood, and the fact we didn't have a TV, gave me a boundless imagination. ”