I always have several books on the go at any one moment, so it's no good you asking 'What's on the bedside table at the moment, Emma?' because often I can't even see the table!

I guess what really forms you as a person is what you do within your family to receive love or attention. In my family, what you had to do to receive attention was to have good conversation at the dinner table or for me to do well at school, and those were really my focuses because that was what was valued the most.

I've always been like that; I give 100 percent. I can't do it any other way.

I have to really enjoy the good things because it makes the bad things OK.

I was very keen. I was super-eager to please and be good. And I was always kind of bossy.

I'm not obsessed with books, I'm not obsessed with school and homework, and I'm not obsessed with not getting into trouble.