They were pushing me for my own good and for their medal count. I didn't appreciate it and I started to tailspin, changing steps and spins and everything. It just didn't feel comfortable. Having people tell you it is not good enough before you start training, it doesn't help.

This was a year when the Olympic team should have been bigger. I know we'll have a good team, but we'll be missing some people who I personally hoped would make it.

Skating well in the short program always helps me feel good for the long program.

I suppose being fierce is a very good thing, and a very cool thing. But more than fierce, I think I'm a strong person and a strong individual. And that's what I take with me every day.

Creating emotion was what my career was all about. I wanted people to laugh at me; I wanted people to cry with me. I wanted people to feel good or to think about something when they watched me. I think that's why, even not being an Olympic champion, I have such a huge following around the world.

Music is fun, but I'm an ice skater. I may sing songs and do shows, make movies and other things... that's all well and good and I enjoy it, and I would never trade any of those for anything. But figure skating is who I am.