I have an inbuilt clock which wakes me up at 6.45. I sleep at the back of the house, which looks out onto the pool, the gardens and a freshwater lake at the bottom. The rolling hills of Kent in the distance make it look beautiful whatever time of year it is, and the kids love it because there’s also tennis courts and a football pitch. My eldest, Josh, just did his A-levels and is having a gap year; my daughter Jordan is 16 and just started boarding school; and Jake, my youngest, is still at school.

Once I’ve fed Charlie and Arthur, our Hungarian vizsla dogs, I’ll make a cup of tea, put on some cashmere pants, check Jake’s up and had his breakfast and then drive him to school. I’m back in 40 minutes and that’s when I’ll stick on the coffee machine and get out the digestives — my favourite way to start the day.

If I’m off out again, I’ll shower and dress in black, grey or neutrals — being only 5ft 2in I find trousers more flattering than skirts. I often wear Givenchy, Chloé, Balmain and Balenciaga. Unlike my wardrobe, my life has really changed in the last few years. In 2004 my ex [Kevin Stanford] and I sold Karen Millen, the label we’d set up in 1981. I was 19 then, buzzing with ideas and just out of college. I started off making cotton shirts and then we got a loan of £100 to buy equipment. We opened our first shop in 1983, and by 2004 we had 130 stores internationally. But then things started to go wrong with Kevin and we decided to sell up.

It was sad. It was the end to a huge chapter in my life, personally and professionally, and I came out of it exhausted. But I have no regrets now. The last few years have been about recharging my batteries, building up my confidence again, basically having some “me time”. Of course, being financially secure has allowed me to just stop and enjoy the rewards of hard work — spending more time with the kids and working on pet projects like the home I’m building in Majorca. I’ve always loved interiors, so it’s been a chance for me to indulge in my favourite styles, which vary from Japanese antique furniture to the French designer Christian Liaigre.

If I’m hungry around lunchtime I might have soup or a sandwich and a coffee. A big thing on my mind has been wanting to give something back to society, and I’ve become closely involved in two charities. One is HopeHIV, based at the Gateway School of Fashion in South Africa. It aims to give fashion skills to young people affected by HIV — and what’s great for me is that teachers from the University for the Creative Arts in Rochester, where I myself studied, have been pivotal in getting it off the ground. The other charity is Teens Unite, which I co-founded to improve the lives of young adults between 13 and 24 who have life-limiting illnesses.

Hearing so many heartbreaking stories, I don’t take anything for granted in this world, so having three healthy children makes me feel incredibly blessed. Sadly, my father suffered with ill health when I was growing up and was only 55 when he died. But luckily Mum lives nearby and I really have her to thank for inspiring me. As a child I’d watch her making clothes from paper patterns, and she still has the sewing machine I made my first shirts on. Actually, when I went to collect my OBE in June, I wore a dress I’d made myself — something I haven’t done in years. It was silvery-grey and ruched at the waist and reminded me why I’d fallen in love with clothes in the first place. I’d never rule out going back into fashion — but just not yet.

If the boys are home in time for dinner, we’ll have steak or pasta and sit and chat. I’m often in bed by 10, when I’ll maybe read, watch TV or just reflect on the day. Having been with someone for over 20 years, it takes time to adjust to being on your own again. But I’m now discovering new things about myself — what moves me, what drives me, who I really am. And when I turn out the light that's a perfect place to be.

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