For fantasy is true, of course. It isn't factual, but it is true. Children know that. Adults know it too, and that is precisely why many of them are afraid of fantasy. They know that its truth challenges, even threatens, all that is false, all that is phony, unnecessary, and trivial in the life they have let themselves be forced into living. They are afraid of dragons, because they are afraid of freedom.

I'll make my report as if I told a story, for I was taught as a child on my homeworld that Truth is a matter of the imagination.

Reading is performance. The reader--the child under the blanket with a flashlight, the woman at the kitchen table, the man at the library desk--performs the work. The performance is silent. The readers hear the sounds of the words and the beat of the sentences only in their inner ear. Silent drummers on noiseless drums. An amazing performance in an amazing theater.

My Real Children starts quietly, then suddenly takes you on two roller-coaster rides at once, swooping dizzily through a double panorama and ending in a sort of super Sophie's Choice. A daring tour de force.

It is no secret. All power is one in source and end, I think. Years and distances, stars and candles, water and wind and wizardry, the craft in a man's hand and the wisdom in a tree's root: they all arise together. My name, and yours, and the true name of the sun, or a spring of water, or an unborn child, all are syllables of the great word that is very slowly spoken by the shining of the stars. There is no other power. No other name.

I don't think you need to get married necessarily. Girls just assume they will get married and have babies, but that isn't the right thing for everyone.

I've had inquiries for things like TV show 'Splash,' where people go out in front of the whole nation in a bikini. But I think bikinis are just for the beach.

I enjoy things that are relevant to me, like maths and science and 'Countdown,' and I don't want to offend our viewers.

I think we've come a long way with women's rights, but we've got a long way to go.

I was used to Essex boys growing up. Russian boys are a lot more gentlemanly and thoughtful. They will express their emotions a bit more.

Practising maths can be fun.

There is no time you should shut the doors, as there is always love out there for you.

I would have never dreamt in a million years I would go out with a ballroom dancer from Russia, as, when we were younger, we did not even speak the same language.

For a long time, I thought, 'I'm not a TV presenter,' but now I realise there's no typical route into this business.

I always say the side of me I show on 'Countdown' is the side I'd show to my gran.

I am really surprised that what I am wearing on 'Countdown' has got into the papers.

When I first started, I tried to wear things I thought a 'Countdown' presenter should wear.

I like American late-night shows, like Trevor Noah, John Oliver and Bill Maher - I've got them all on series link.

I don't see myself with or without children - whatever will be, will be.

If I'm with someone, and I'm happy, that's enough.

I'm at my most fulfilled challenging myself with something that scares me.

Russian is a really hard language - but I've got my own personal teacher. He's been really patient.

I am always running late for absolutely everything; my hair's the last thing I do because I am terrible at it.

As soon as I am out of my work clothes, I am in flat shoes, stretchy leggings, and a cashmere jumper; it's all low maintenance.

I have loved 'Countdown' for years. I always used to watch it when I got home from school. To be actually on the programme is a big challenge.

I am the type of person who just gets on with whatever life throws at you. I have a 'do first, worry later' kind of attitude.

I am aware of some of the things about me on the Internet - like people putting up pictures of me online every single day on something called Rachel Watch!

Isolation among older people is a massive problem, and my grandad used to come round for Sunday lunch every week for as long as I can remember.

I think you regret the things that you don't do more than the things you do.

Filming 'It's Not Rocket Science' has made me realise I'm missing the part of my brain that warns me about danger because - even though the tasks are terrifying - I find it really exciting.

I think the word 'celebrity' is stupid.

I like being known for being good at maths and having a brain. If I've been asked to do something but it's not relevant to me, I don't do it. I'd feel a bit of an idiot just turning up in a dress.

Very fitted dresses look much better on TV, even though in reality they might be so tight that I can barely move in them.

Winter is my favourite season for clothes because I'm happiest wearing knitted dresses, leggings, and Uggs.

I'm 5ft 7in tall and a size six to eight on top and eight to ten on the bottom. Consequently, I get a lot of my clothes altered to fit, as I am always between sizes.

I've had the 'Countdown' theme-tune as my mobile phone ringtone for years.

I've been a fan of 'Countdown' for as long as I can remember, and this is a dream job.

I only applied for 'Countdown' as a bit of a laugh while applying for lots of other graduate jobs. I've had some amazing opportunities, and I've loved every minute.

The paso doble is my favourite dance on 'Strictly,' so I'm so pleased I get to do it.

Being bad at maths shouldn't be something to brag about, and I'm glad people are waking up to this, but there's no reason be embarrassed to look for help when it comes to numeracy.

'I'm a Celebrity' is not my cup of tea whatsoever. I don't like the animal cruelty in it, to be honest.

For my 21st birthday party, I had a 'Strictly'-themed fancy dress.

When I was at uni, our whole college bar would gather around the quiz machine for a few games every night.

The best thing about 'Strictly' is it doesn't matter what level you start at, if you've never put a foot in front of the other in your life.

University was a shock to the system. At times, I really thought I couldn't do it. It's the same with 'Strictly.' I'm completely out of my comfort zone.

My parents supported me through university, and after I graduated, I got a job as an analyst at a price comparison website called TotallyMoney.com.

From my personal experience, because I'm in a relationship, on paper I would never have imagined - I'm an Essex girl, maths geek who likes football, and I've ended up with a Russian ballroom dancer, and I guess the things you think are important, especially when you're younger, turn out not to be.

I'm really interested in male and female brains and whether female brains or male brains are better at maths.

It's always flattering when you get compliments, but it's more of a measure of who you are at the time than anything else.

You sit men and women down and give them a maths test, and they will do fairly equally. Then you set up the same test, but with different people, and make them tick a box to say whether they are a man or a woman, and the women do significantly worse in the maths test than they did previously in a group set.