Quotes from Edith Bowman

I would love to have visited Cuba while Fidel Castro was alive.

I was lucky enough to do a travel show, quite a few years ago, and one of the countries we visited was Japan.

I used to lug a massive bag of CDs everywhere.

I really pay attention to makeup artists and what they do with me.

Mum and Dad ran a seaside hotel in Anstruther in Fife. It was a family run business, so I worked in the kitchen and helped out as a chambermaid and waitress.

I'm not a natural blonde.

I've met Prince Charles and Prince Philip.

I love a gadget and I've got my dad to blame for that. When I was growing up, he always had the latest thing: cine-cameras, VHS players, enormous mobile phones. I've definitely inherited his gadget fiendness.

Growing up I had various pictures of Marilyn Monroe on my walls, and watched her films time and time again. She oozed a fantastic femininity, was curvy and sexy, and was a real woman. I was, and am, a bit obsessed with her.

The whole idea of Hogmanay is part of your life growing up in Scotland. It's a big deal. It's one of the biggest celebrations ever. It was always about 'Where you going? What are you doing?'

I'm not religious but there's something about being in a church at Christmas and listening to a choir sing.

My parents have been incredibly supportive of me. They've always stood by me, whatever my decisions. When I was younger, I was like a butterfly flitting from one thing to the next - be it gymnastics, karate or piano lessons. They never forced me into anything.

I try to keep looking as young as possible, so my cleansing routine is a given.

In the evenings, we like to snuggle up in front of the fire on our big couch.

I do a really good crab linguine.

I'm not a critic, I'm not there to tell people what they should think about something - I just want to kind of enthuse about stuff to let people make their own mind up about it.

Don't take for granted how much of an impact making small changes can have.

The lead singer of Ocean Colour Scene told me I looked like David Beckham when I interviewed him for MTV. I had short hair, was early in my career and still trying to find my confidence. Being a Man United fan, I should have taken it as a compliment; but it was meant unkindly.

There's an ongoing discussion around equality, and age is one thing that has a very different presence around women than it does around men.

Having presented a few travel shows, I have become less lazy on holiday; it has encouraged me to go out and explore.

I go through spurts of watching 'EastEnders,' feeling depressed and vowing never to watch it ever again.

I've never been short of words. I think my mum will tell you that. I think I've known that since primary school.

When I was nine or 10, I remember having a dinner party at my mum and dad's house. I wanted to have a Thanksgiving dinner because I'd watched so many films that had Thanksgiving in it and I thought: 'Why do we not celebrate this?' So I cooked this big Thanksgiving dinner for probably 10 people and I wouldn't let anybody help me.

I experimented as a teen, and had some hellish hairstyles - way too many perms and cheap hairspray!