FIRST IMPRESSIONS: CAROL SMILLIE
What are you working on at the moment?
The British Heart Foundation asked me to get involved with their campaign to highlight their shops. I love a mooch around those kind of shops anyway – somebody else’s throw away is not necessarily a throw away to everyone. I ended up buying a dressing table.
When are you at your happiest?
When all five of us are together for a Sunday roast.
What is your greatest fear?
Losing my health.
What is your earliest memory?
Being in my Silver Cross pram in the dining room for an afternoon sleep. I did not want to be in that room because it had really crazy wallpaper, so I screamed the place down until I was moved. Even in those days I had my opinion on wallpaper.
What do you dislike about yourself?
The older I get, the less tolerant I am.
Who has been your greatest influence?
My husband, Alex. When I was younger, it was my parents – they instilled in me a sense of ‘if you want it you have to go and get it yourself, and if you work really hard you will get it’.
What is your most treasured possession?
An eternity ring that used to be my mum’s. But also my This Is Your Life book. My mother thought I was a bit of a feckless teenager who would never have a real job, and when I went on This Is Your Life, the look on her face – she cried and I cried. It mattered to me what she thought.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Binge drinking.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Everyone has their insecurities but as you get older you learn to mask them better. I don’t like the way my body is ageing. I hate cellulite and my wobbly bits. I have to accept I’m not 18 any more.
What is your favourite book?
Something by Harlan Coben.
Your favourite film?
I loved The Bodyguard, when Kevin Costner picks Whitney Houston up off her feet… I also like Despicable Me, Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc.
And your favourite piece of music?
Café Del Mar – AR Rahman Mumbai Theme Tune.
What is your favourite meal?
Chinese food.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Richard Branson, Jaqueline Gold, Alan Rickman, Jamie Cullum and Alicia Keys.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
I was quite upset when Ken Bruce said I had a mouth like a letter box with teeth.
What is your secret vice?
Bargain shopping.
Do you write thank you notes?
Yes, I do.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
When you watch yourself on TV, you kick that habit quickly.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Some kind of pill that would make your hair grow the colour you wanted it. It would cut out a lot of boring time sitting in the hairdressers.
Tell us one thing people might not know about you.
I’ve started my own business, Diary Doll, with Annabel Croft, making knickers for period, pelvic floor, or even post-maternity problems.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘Nobody could say she didn’t try’.
Carol Smillie is the face of the British Heart Foundation’s furniture and electrical stores: www.bhf.org.uk/shops – for more about her joint venture with Annabel Croft: www.diarydoll.com
The British Heart Foundation asked me to get involved with their campaign to highlight their shops. I love a mooch around those kind of shops anyway – somebody else’s throw away is not necessarily a throw away to everyone. I ended up buying a dressing table.
When are you at your happiest?
When all five of us are together for a Sunday roast.
What is your greatest fear?
Losing my health.
What is your earliest memory?
Being in my Silver Cross pram in the dining room for an afternoon sleep. I did not want to be in that room because it had really crazy wallpaper, so I screamed the place down until I was moved. Even in those days I had my opinion on wallpaper.
What do you dislike about yourself?
The older I get, the less tolerant I am.
Who has been your greatest influence?
My husband, Alex. When I was younger, it was my parents – they instilled in me a sense of ‘if you want it you have to go and get it yourself, and if you work really hard you will get it’.
What is your most treasured possession?
An eternity ring that used to be my mum’s. But also my This Is Your Life book. My mother thought I was a bit of a feckless teenager who would never have a real job, and when I went on This Is Your Life, the look on her face – she cried and I cried. It mattered to me what she thought.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Binge drinking.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Everyone has their insecurities but as you get older you learn to mask them better. I don’t like the way my body is ageing. I hate cellulite and my wobbly bits. I have to accept I’m not 18 any more.
What is your favourite book?
Something by Harlan Coben.
Your favourite film?
I loved The Bodyguard, when Kevin Costner picks Whitney Houston up off her feet… I also like Despicable Me, Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc.
And your favourite piece of music?
Café Del Mar – AR Rahman Mumbai Theme Tune.
What is your favourite meal?
Chinese food.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Richard Branson, Jaqueline Gold, Alan Rickman, Jamie Cullum and Alicia Keys.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
I was quite upset when Ken Bruce said I had a mouth like a letter box with teeth.
What is your secret vice?
Bargain shopping.
Do you write thank you notes?
Yes, I do.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
When you watch yourself on TV, you kick that habit quickly.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Some kind of pill that would make your hair grow the colour you wanted it. It would cut out a lot of boring time sitting in the hairdressers.
Tell us one thing people might not know about you.
I’ve started my own business, Diary Doll, with Annabel Croft, making knickers for period, pelvic floor, or even post-maternity problems.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘Nobody could say she didn’t try’.
Carol Smillie is the face of the British Heart Foundation’s furniture and electrical stores: www.bhf.org.uk/shops – for more about her joint venture with Annabel Croft: www.diarydoll.com