Ab Fab Jennifer’s words of wisdom

Ab FAB star Jennifer Saunders says chitchat is a vital social skill.

‘you’ve got to have a little bit of small talk,’ she says. ‘It’s there to stop those terrible awkward silences.

‘I used to have a lot of awkward silences and I’ve learnt that, actually, the way through it, and to stop yourself feeling awkward, is to go, “Tell me about this,” and, “Have you noticed that?” ’

The 58- year- old admits, however, that she struggles with forced interaction when shopping.

‘I go into a shop and go, “No I’m fine thank you,” before anyone’s even approached me! “I’m fine, just looking” — and then I go out the door before I’ve even looked at anything.’