I don't think I'm ruthless, but I'm very driven, irritatingly so.

I had my first flower stall when I was seven, at the end of the drive in Minehead, Somerset. Nobody was stopping so I moved it to my neighbour's drive, because I thought: 'Location, location, location.' It worked.

I think Cate Blanchett always gets it right. She seems very natural and wears interesting but not ridiculous clothes - she seems to push the boundaries just enough.

I love the full-on Hollywood glamour of the 1930s and '40s.

I use my clothes to make my day better - for example, if it's a dull day, I'll wear something bright to cheer myself up.

I don't like shopping and I'm lucky enough to have a stylist to do it for me.

Provided someone can persuade me, I will invest in anything.

I'm not a fearful person, I have no phobias of rats, snakes, spiders, nothing. I'm lucky in that sense.

I don't look for praise.

My parents are not nurturers. They're a bit like me: do a good job and move on.

When I concentrate, my face is deadpan and I can see there is a coldness there - when I'm making business decisions I know I can be quite dispassionate.

I think I've got more humour than comes across.

I started off in the leisure industry and now I find myself as the DIY queen - I'm not quite sure how that happened!

I have definitely learnt in business that when you have a smart, engaged entrepreneur with good judgement they can really drive even a mediocre business forward so to me the entrepreneur is very important.

If you're looking for investment you've got to think about what the investor gets from being involved with your business. A lot of people think about what they're getting from their point of view but not about what the investor gets out of a deal.

I love the ingenuity of British entrepreneurs.

Nobody is like the person I am on TV, surely, only Cruella de Vil, or the wicked witch from Snow White.

As a young woman, before I had any money, I went backpacking across India, and I was aware of how gritty it could be.

I'm not scared of many sectors, so if you look at my investment portfolio, it is pretty wide. I've invested in anything from market research firms to fashion houses and textile companies.

I am not intimidating, I am forthright!

I think the thing about business is that it's not completely separate to life. You're selling to people so it's all about life skills - and common sense.

I'm not a feminist.

Dragons' Den' is about as close to real business as you can get on television.

It is what you can do with your money that matters because money has no value in itself.