“So often I hear people bemoaning that they couldn’t possibly do this or that. Well, if you decide not just ‘I can’, but ‘I will’, then not only does your own attitude change but, more importantly, everyone else’s attitude to you changes with it. Our minds control everything else we have. Get your head pointing in the right direction and all the rest will follow.

“It took me a long time to learn that you can fail at something and still continue with life. The world doesn’t end. The same stuff happens to everyone. So when chances come along – and yes, of course, they can be scary – take them, preferably with both hands. How boring it would be if you never seized the moment. How else do you think you’ll develop self-confidence? How else do you expect to get ahead? And if it doesn’t work out, then fine. You did your best. Learn from it and move on.

“Women have come such a long way in my lifetime. It used to be that even in high-profile relationships, the female couldn’t open her mouth in public, let alone express an independent and intelligent view. But credit where credit’s due. Men have come a long way too, and Barack and Michelle Obama are the perfect example. Not that there’s cause for complacency. Take Mr Berlusconi, for example. He’s an awful reflection on Italy. The people should rise up and say, ‘We’d like to be represented by someone with a brain and a little dignity now, thank you very much.’ ”

The pearl: “I nearly always take a dare. If it’s something I haven’t tried before and it’s within the realms of common sense. I might fall on my face, but where’s the shame in that?”

Honor Blackman’s single, The Star Who Fell from Grace, is released on Monday

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