Michelle Yeoh's My London

The actress hunts for hats in Covent Garden, cycles round Chelsea and kicks back in Knightsbridge

Home is...
The valleys of Ipoh in Malaysia, where my parents live in an idyllic city surrounded by limestone cliffs. The local people are charming, and the food is incredible. I also call Geneva and Paris home because my partner Jean [Todt] works in motorsport and lives between those cities.

Where do you stay in London?
With friends in Chelsea. I usually borrow a bike to explore the area. I'm pretty fearless - my little excursions worry my friends because I never know where I'm going.

What advice would you give a tourist?
Don't try to do everything. Go on an open-top bus tour to give you a quick overview of the city, then if you have a really good friend who knows London, let them take you off the tourist map. And don't miss the Houses of Parliament.

Which shops do you rely on?
Harrods for the food court; I love the colours and variety of things you can buy. I enjoy lapping up the atmosphere around the Market Place in Covent Garden. I'm usually on the lookout for hats whenever I'm there. I come from a dance background so I used to go to dance classes at the studios off Endell Street. For delicious cakes and scones I go to Richoux on Brompton Road. If I need eveningwear I like Alberta Ferretti (S/S 2012, right) and go to her store on Sloane Street.

What's the most romantic thing someone's done for you here?
Taken me on a picnic in Hyde Park in a lovely, discreet corner and then we went boating, too.

What's your earliest London memory?
The sight of flower stalls and daffodils by the side of the road in spring.

Do you have a recurring dream?
I'm flying, either soaring in the sky, around rooms or among trees.

How would you like the opening line of your obituary to read?
'She lived an extraordinary life and died peacefully.' It's not only how you live but how you die that's important.

Which animal would you like to be?
A blue bird of paradise. It is the most fabulous blue, one of the most beautiful birds.

What's your biggest extravagance?
Having time to do nothing, having breakfast in bed with my love, snuggling, watching a movie and more snuggling.

What would you do as Mayor for the day?
I'd start a 'Clean up and Plant' day where everyone would plant something on their street or in their local park. It would be a lasting legacy.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?
My father told me to be appreciative, contented and never afraid to live my life.