‘you’re not dead yet!’

The TV presenter and novelist, who turns 68 this month, on weight loss, her unusual way with words, and why she has fallen in love with going to church

When I was 16, my life was a strange mixture. I’d just lost my dad [Double Formula One world champion Graham Hill], but at the same time I could get a moped. So everything was opening up for me, but o

Full disclosure: I’ve known Nicky Hambleton-Jones for 25 years. We met at a book club when we were both lonely souls who had just landed in Britpop ’90s London – me from the North East of England and

I left school at 15 and my outlook on life was the same as it is now. I was always a hopeful child if not always a happy one. I was outgoing, sociable, funny, and I was accepted by my peers. All I was

BY GABRIELLE MULLARKEY, PICTURES GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK CREATIVE ...

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a writer. But like many daughters of immigrant parents, I followed the safer path. I became a management consultant. I wore suits, talked strategy, and bu