A place called Garuda on Finchley Road. I’ve been training with James D’Silva, who has owned the studio since the 1990s. Madonna introduced me to him. It’s not for the faint-hearted.
Where would you like to be buried?
Sting and I have had really wonderful romantic walks through Highgate Cemetery so I think that’s where, if they’ll have me.
What do you collect?
I’ve bred Irish wolfhounds for 15 years. I have 16 right now. We’re looking at how to improve their longevity because they’ve been so interbred and as a result they suffer from heart disease, so we have a heart machine and invite people who buy a puppy to get their dog’s heart tested.
If you could buy any building, which would it be?
West London Hospital so I could put it back to being a hospital. I had a wonderful birth there on the National Health Service with my first baby, Mickey, who is now 34.
Favourite pub?
A 16th-century pub called the Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street. Great fish and chips.
Alamy Stock Photo
Best thing a cabbie has said to you?
A great ‘historical’ bit of trivia: that the first bank came into existence in the time of William the Conqueror, when the wealthy people would hide their gold from him and his invading army under the Temple Church down by the river. The password was ‘bank’ because it was on the riverbank.
Best meal you’ve had?
Kidneys with bacon, followed by the bread and butter pudding at Wiltons on Jermyn Street — it’s a regular haunt with my friend and agent, Angharad Wood.
Who’s your hero?
Grayson Perry — I was thrilled to be introduced to him by my friend, the artist Bill Jacklin, at the 250th anniversary dinner of the Royal Academy of Arts. I love his work and everything he stands for: individuality, intelligence, passion for art and freedom of expression.
