Quickfire Michael Ball

Singer on fry-ups, forgetting lyrics and a favourite theme song

Guilty pleasure? I absolutely love Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother and have never missed a series – but I would never appear on them. Where is home? A semidetached Victorian house in Barnes, Southwest London. Career plan B? A chef. I do all the cooking at home and love it. Who would play you in a movie of your life? Russell Crowe. I was once mistaken for him and have never been so happy. Biggest bugbear? People using mobiles or eating in the theatre. As a child you wanted to be… Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds. Earliest memory? Watching Winston Churchill’s funeral on television in 1965. I was only two and a half, but knew it was a momentous occasion. Secret to a happy relationship? Separate bathrooms. Your best quality? Compassion. And your worst? Impatience. Most romantic thing you’ve ever done? I send a text every day to my partner Cath, saying ‘I love you’. Last meal on earth? An all-you-can-eat buffet with flavours from round the world. Dream dinner-party guests? Victoria Wood, Dolly Parton, Stephen Sondheim, Noël Coward, Joni Mitchell and Vincent Price. Advice to teenage self? Don’t ever smoke. I’m still trying to give up. Cat or dog? We have a Tibetan terrier, OIlie. We used to have two, but Freddie died three months ago. What do you see when you look in the mirror? My dad. Starstruck moment? Interviewing Steven Spielberg for my Sunday morning Radio 2 show. He was awesome. Big break? Being cast as Marius in the original London production of Les Misérables in 1985. Career highlight? Having last year’s biggest-selling album [ Together, with Alfie Boe] was utterly amazing. Most embarrassing moment? Being on stage and forgetting the words to ‘Love Changes Everything’, a song I’ve sung thousands of times. Favourite tipple? Depending on my mood, a great red wine or a single malt whisky. Hangover cure? Soluble paracetamol, Berocca and a fry-up. What did you have for breakfast today? Honey on toast and a NutriBullet smoothie. Top of your bucket list? To sing a duet with Barbra Streisand – she can choose the song, I don’t mind! One thing that would make your life better? To lose two stone overnight. Philosophy? Try to leave people feeling better for having met you. Last film that made you cry? A Monster Calls, about a boy whose mum is dying of cancer. Where would you time travel to? Ancient Rome, which has always fascinated me. First record you bought? ‘The Morning After’ by Maureen McGovern, the theme song to The Poseidon Adventure. Most extravagant purchase? A Cartier watch. Your biggest regret? Not accepting the lead in the original West End production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard. Biggest fear? There being nobody in the audience. Celebrity crush? Alison Krauss. Happiness is… Health, wealth, love and laughter. Michael and Alfie will perform at Greenwich Music Time on 30 June as part of their Together Again tour, which begins tonight in Ledbury; greenwich musictime. co.uk