I like working with directors I respect, who give me freedom but also give me a good base from which to work.

Villains are far more interesting to play than nice people.

Yes I've had my nose done.

I've got an iPod, of course. I'm all Mac'd up!

I love my sporty but classic brown leather Picard satchel.

I love my bike, a hybrid Matrix Express, which is fast, cheap, easy to park and good exercise.

I like fresh, crisp, cool, plain white cotton sheets from Calvin Klein.

I always say the most important thing is the ability to act, then sing, then dance - in that order.

My advice gets misconstrued as being mean.

If I have to do my tax online, the government should pay for my Internet hook-up, darling.

Street dance resonates for teenagers. It's inclusive and brings in different audiences.

Lots of celebrities have had some sort of dance training, especially actors or singers - they have to have some movement skill and be trained physically.

I always thought I needed the support of someone in a long-term relationship to make me whole.

My relationship with my dad was complex, especially when I came out. The years of verbal abuse, all of it drink-fuelled, were difficult. Later, though, he came to see me on stage in 'La Cage aux Folles' - one of his favourite shows - and loved it. Theatre won him over and he accepted me in the end.

I hated sport, but at 13, I went to an aerobics class and the teacher thought I had natural rhythm. She suggested formal dance classes, and that's when I finally found something I was really good at.

I'm not saying the persona on 'Strictly' isn't me - it's just that the nurturing side, which is also a part of who I am, isn't what I'm there for. I'm there to judge and to give an honest opinion, even if it's not the opinion someone wants to hear.

I direct as many shows as I can fit in between 'Strictly Come Dancing' and other performance stuff.

As a dancer, you go from one show to the next, and you never know where your next pound is coming from, and I think that's what makes me say yes to so many things, because there's always a fear that you won't have a job.

I feel as though I'm constantly defending myself. I'm up against challengers from the ballroom world, from the dance world, people on the couch who hate what I'm saying about their favourite celebrity. Then you're up against the press, who will always want to put you in a box.

There can be dramas in your life and you can get over them and become someone. You don't have to wallow in self-pity; you can actually use the experiences in your life to push yourself further and help others.

I had long eyelashes and the other kids used to say I wore mascara.

Anything people say about me I don't care. I really don't care. You read so much terrible stuff about yourself it sort of just ends up washing over.

I like committed, one-on-one relationships. That's just who I am.

When I'm in a relationship I'm monogamous.