Self-builders are the adrenalin junkies of the DIY world; it's the equivalent of base-jumping off the top of the Gherkin to land in a paddling pool.
I'm quite shy. Television presents an amplified version of yourself. When I'm on camera I'm pumping more adrenaline, I'm being a bit more engaging than I am in everyday conversation, but that's normal, isn't it? Otherwise nobody would want to watch.
I don't know whether other asthma sufferers find this, but I've noticed that even when I've got my asthma under control, I often develop another problem such as an ear, chest or sinus infection and sometimes even joint pains.
Luckily I have never missed a day's filming or work due to asthma.
A friend of mine once wrote a silly article about all these metrosexuals like David Beckham wearing sarongs, and she described me as a 'heteropolitan.' I don't know what that means. I think it was a joke.
There's nothing you can do about busted ribs. You just have to wait for them to pop back into place again.
I like the absurd and the surreal: the Coen brothers, Bunuel, Kubrick.
What happened in 2008 stopped people in their tracks. People stopped looking at their homes simply as commodities to exploit and starting thinking about how they might personalise that space and make them less bland and more autobiographical, and that's healthy, I think.
Your home should be about enriching the daily experience.
Every breath we take as human beings damages the planet.
You cannot use the democratic process for the procurement of excellence.
As a property developer, I learned a long time ago to choose your battles wisely and that, unfortunately, compromise is a given.
My favourite authors include Trollope and Dickens.
Every decently-made object, from a house to a lamp post to a bridge, spoon or egg cup, is not just a piece of 'stuff' but a physical embodiment of human energy, testimony to the magical ability of our species to take raw materials and turn them into things of use, value and beauty.
Living an environmentally responsible lifestyle can seem like a Scrooge-like list of don'ts. Don't take that flight, don't buy that car, don't eat those blueberries flown in from somewhere far-flung.
A great deal of energy is wasted in hating people, and I can honestly say I've no wish to expend such a precious resource on being outraged about anyone.
I'm terribly fastidious. I like symmetry and neatness, but my house is as chaotic as any other family's.
I don't enjoy living in a white box flooded with light. I like shadows, small spaces, old furniture.
I have a recurring nightmare that I wake up in a gutter with nothing. I've had it all my life. That's why I work, I think.
I've had my fair share of colds, which last longer than they should and can cause wheezing, so I avoid people who are sneezing like the plague and am scrupulous about hygiene and hand-washing.
