FIRST IMPRESSIONS: FIONA FULLERTON
What are you working on?
I’m promoting my new book, Dear Fiona. It’s a memoir about a 12-year period in my life when I was corresponding with a man who was serving a life sentence in prison. I was about 19 when he first wrote me a fan letter and we corresponded regularly for over 12 years and became incredibly good friends. He did 22 years for a crime he didn’t commit; my friendship with him was a lifeline for him – friendships don’t come much more extreme than that.
When are you at your happiest?
I’m happy most days. I have a carpe diem attitude to life. My book launch was incredible because it was at the Royal Festival Hall. It was a very special day.
What is your greatest fear?
That anything should happen to my children.
What is your earliest memory?
I was about five years old. I was brought up in Singapore, so my earliest memories are coming out of infant school and going down to the pool.
Who has been your greatest influence?
A combination of Dame Margot Fonteyn and Liza Minnelli. Margot Fonteyn made me want to be a dancer; I trained as a classical dancer and then I started in movies when I was 11. Liza Minnelli was making Cabaret in 1972, the same time I was filming Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, and it summed up everything that I wanted to be.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I’m terribly impatient.
What is your most treasured possession?
Early photos and DVDs of the children.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Egotism, narcissism, and arrogance.
Do you have a fantasy address?
In Italy, a villa near Lucca, in Tuscany. We’ve been to Italy many times and Lucca is a beautiful city with many churches.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
The lines on my forehead. I refuse to have Botox; I wish to age gracefully.
What is your all-time favourite book?
Damage by Josephine Hart. It’s a brilliantly crafted book. It’s only a little book, but it’s an incredible, breathcatching story of obsession.
What is your favourite film?
The Artist. It was stunningly made but also very sad. It has a fantastic message about survival. But I also loved Uggie the dog; I have a Jack Russell, who is just like Uggie.
What is your favourite record or piece of music?
Pavane by Gabriel Fauré – it’s incredibly tranquil.
What is your favourite meal?
Fish pie. I make posh fish pie with scallops and salmon.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
John F Kennedy. He was a very complex and dark man with too many skeletons in his closet. I find him fascinating and I’d love him to tell me some truths.
Which historical character do you most admire?
Lady Jane Grey: she was queen for nine days and was probably the most academic woman of her time. Her husband’s father, the 1st Duke of Northumberland, manipulated her accession to the throne and she was beheaded. A tragic story that tells you a lot about the ambitions of the Tudors.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has said to you?
It was my opening night in the West End in the late 1980s and I was starring in a play with Keith Michell. The critics were in and an actress came backstage and said, ‘Now Fiona, I don’t want you to worry about what those nasty critics are going to say because I think you’re lovely.’
What is your secret vice?
Champagne.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Yes. I was brought up to write thank-you letters and I get upset when people don’t write them to me.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘Oh, it was hilarious’.
What single thing would improve your quality of life?
I’d like to be able to drive down a very straight road to each of my friends’ homes.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘A loyal friend’.
Dear Fiona (Waterside Press, £19.95) is out now. Fiona is an ambassador for the tradesmen recommendation service: www.ratedpeople.com
I’m promoting my new book, Dear Fiona. It’s a memoir about a 12-year period in my life when I was corresponding with a man who was serving a life sentence in prison. I was about 19 when he first wrote me a fan letter and we corresponded regularly for over 12 years and became incredibly good friends. He did 22 years for a crime he didn’t commit; my friendship with him was a lifeline for him – friendships don’t come much more extreme than that.
When are you at your happiest?
I’m happy most days. I have a carpe diem attitude to life. My book launch was incredible because it was at the Royal Festival Hall. It was a very special day.
What is your greatest fear?
That anything should happen to my children.
What is your earliest memory?
I was about five years old. I was brought up in Singapore, so my earliest memories are coming out of infant school and going down to the pool.
Who has been your greatest influence?
A combination of Dame Margot Fonteyn and Liza Minnelli. Margot Fonteyn made me want to be a dancer; I trained as a classical dancer and then I started in movies when I was 11. Liza Minnelli was making Cabaret in 1972, the same time I was filming Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, and it summed up everything that I wanted to be.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I’m terribly impatient.
What is your most treasured possession?
Early photos and DVDs of the children.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Egotism, narcissism, and arrogance.
Do you have a fantasy address?
In Italy, a villa near Lucca, in Tuscany. We’ve been to Italy many times and Lucca is a beautiful city with many churches.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
The lines on my forehead. I refuse to have Botox; I wish to age gracefully.
What is your all-time favourite book?
Damage by Josephine Hart. It’s a brilliantly crafted book. It’s only a little book, but it’s an incredible, breathcatching story of obsession.
What is your favourite film?
The Artist. It was stunningly made but also very sad. It has a fantastic message about survival. But I also loved Uggie the dog; I have a Jack Russell, who is just like Uggie.
What is your favourite record or piece of music?
Pavane by Gabriel Fauré – it’s incredibly tranquil.
What is your favourite meal?
Fish pie. I make posh fish pie with scallops and salmon.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
John F Kennedy. He was a very complex and dark man with too many skeletons in his closet. I find him fascinating and I’d love him to tell me some truths.
Which historical character do you most admire?
Lady Jane Grey: she was queen for nine days and was probably the most academic woman of her time. Her husband’s father, the 1st Duke of Northumberland, manipulated her accession to the throne and she was beheaded. A tragic story that tells you a lot about the ambitions of the Tudors.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has said to you?
It was my opening night in the West End in the late 1980s and I was starring in a play with Keith Michell. The critics were in and an actress came backstage and said, ‘Now Fiona, I don’t want you to worry about what those nasty critics are going to say because I think you’re lovely.’
What is your secret vice?
Champagne.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Yes. I was brought up to write thank-you letters and I get upset when people don’t write them to me.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘Oh, it was hilarious’.
What single thing would improve your quality of life?
I’d like to be able to drive down a very straight road to each of my friends’ homes.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘A loyal friend’.
Dear Fiona (Waterside Press, £19.95) is out now. Fiona is an ambassador for the tradesmen recommendation service: www.ratedpeople.com