Quotes from Robert Rinder

I can conduct and play musical instruments, but dancers' counting is different - they only go to eight beats, which doesn't relate to a bar.

We need to be able to turn to our immediate circle to ascertain whether our internal checks and balances are functional and to be able to rely on them to point out gross errors.

My grandfather wanted to remind us that freedom of expression is the fundamental ingredient for democracy, and all the rest is detail. It is the scaffolding around which every other freedom is based.

Never trust people; always trust paper. I'd marry a piece of paper if I could.

Perhaps the people of Twitter are more amenable to your babbling than your immediate family, but that doesn't necessarily make digital communication a beneficial distraction when we have an immediate social environment.

No matter how excluded you have become from Christmas, it is a genuinely inclusive matter; frankly, you are conscripted into it.

My father is a taxi driver, and my mother ran a small business. I hadn't even met a barrister before I got my first shot at the legal profession. But back then, I was lucky enough to be given a break - I can't help but wonder if I would be so lucky today.

There is a balance between mindful that you don't upset anyone, yet maintaining an authenticity that is not wrapped up in the minutiae of people's judgments of you.

I was an appalling person to teach. At 14, I was pretty advanced. I would read all the books in a few minutes, and I was bored. It must have been awful for a teacher to have a bright boy who's giving them his undivided indifference.

London and its people are famed for their incredible indifference to one another, but it's actually a charade that requires some effort to maintain.

You can separate the church and state all you like, but Christmas is inescapable, and it's marvellous, and it's not going away.

The reality is that when you're a barrister, you're trained, and you've got ethical structures. You've got to follow the evidence, and that's that.

Acting, when it is good, can be transformative.

An actor with a genuine gift has the power to transport you from whatever your own pains may be into an entirely different world, freeing you from whatever you may be going through. At its best, it can be better than any medication.

I really worry about the way in which you, as a celebrity, are disproportionately treated. Frankly, the industry is almost single-handedly designed to interfere with people's moral chemistry.

I realise I'm known for doing big, very serious cases, but fundamentally, any lawyer will tell you that even the most complex trials come down to the same questions. Are people telling porky pies? Are bank accounts dodgy? Is someone trying to get one over on you? It's my job to listen and then decide.

I can smell a liar like a fart in a lift!

We need journalists to be fearless and hold power to account.

I was in the National Youth Theatre, too, but there was no dancing there. I was doing plays like 'Julius Caesar' and playing the lute very badly.

Going to salsa clubs may be popular, but I feel we're really missing something as a society by overlooking ballroom dancing. If only we could persuade schools to teach it or there was somewhere young people could go on a Saturday night to learn it.

Youthful beauty is a poor indicator of long-term appeal in a man.

In our 'Strictly' group, we really did bond. It's seemingly disappointing to some that we had no diva meltdowns. I made true friends during the experience, which is surprising because I'm not a new-pals sort of person.

My musical taste is somewhat dated - I mean, freeze frame, go back 60 years, and you're in my comfort zone.

Even my trolls have started taking the trouble to spell their Tweets correctly, which is thoughtful.