IN HER OWN WORDS: Toyah Willcox

Pop star and occasional actress Toyah (The Chase Celebrity Special, 6.30pm, ITV) – who had three hits in the early 1980s – has never been afraid to express her forthright opinions…

On her formative years: ‘I hated every minute of school. I didn’t like being at an all-girls school as I was a tomboy and very wilful and spirited. I was a rebel from day one, and everyone else was terrified of me. I knew I wanted an acting and singing career, and that made school totally impossible – it was holding me up.’ On her first Top Of The Pops appearance: ‘It was one of the highlights of my life. When I got my first TOTP I phoned my mum and dad, and that was the first time they gave me recognition that I was an artist, because up until that point I was doomed to failure.’ On her husband (fellow musician Robert Fripp): ‘I got married because I had found my soul mate, not because I wanted to be married.’ On modern technology: ‘There is a generation who will not have the ability to hold a conversation. I don’t think it’s going to hamper people until three generations down the line and then we’ll get to a situation where people won’t be able to feed themselves. Technology is taking our voices away.’ On regrets: ‘I’m tired of reading about women talking about their regrets. I think it’s ridiculous to live your life by regrets.’ On having a face-lift (after comments about her appearance on I’m A Celebrity in 2003): ‘It was a wake-up call. In this business I accept that 95 per cent of it is about how you look.’ Left: Toyah, then and now.