The DEFINITE ARTICLE

We ask a celebrity a set of devilishly probing questions – and only accept THE definitive answer. This week it’s Good Morning Britain’s Kate Garraway

The prized possession you value above all others…

My engagement and wedding rings. I haven’t taken the wedding band off since Derek [Draper, the former Labour political advisor] and I got married in 2005, and the Art Deco diamond engagement ring only comes off when I’m a doing a filthy job.

The biggest regret you wish you could amend…

I wish I’d looked after my skin better. I didn’t use moisturiser until I was 35 – I’m 49 now and I curse myself when I look at my crow’s feet!

The figure from history for whom you’d most like to buy a pie and a pint…

Elizabeth I. I’d want to know what she laughed at and took pleasure in when she wasn’t busy ruling the country. Left: Queen Elizabeth I. Above right: skateboards. Far right: a pelican in the Caribbean

The temptation you wish you could resist…

Chocolate. I wish I could say I like the posh stuff that’s supposed to be good for you, but I go for kiddie things like Cadbury Buttons.

The book that holds an everlasting resonance…

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks brings to life what the troops went through in the First World War.

The priority activity if you were the Invisible Woman for a day…

I’d find out what my children – Darcey, ten, and Billy, seven – say and do when I’m not around.

The pet hate that makes your hackles rise...

When I see elderly people hassled because other people think they’re being too slow.

The film you can watch time and time again…

It’s A Wonderful Life. I watch it every Christmas and always cry.

The unending quest that drives you on…

To have a fulfilling life.

The person who has influenced you most…

My mum, Marilyn. She’s 74 now and still an extraordinary woman. She’s clever, kind and irritatingly beautiful. When I was in the sixth form, boys I fancied would pop round to see me, but it was soon apparent they were more keen to chat to my mum!

The piece of wisdom you would pass on to a child…

I say to my children, ‘Try new things with all your energy and if you try something and hate it, at least you truly know what you don’t like.’

The unlikely interest that engages your curiosity…

Skateboarding. I look on in awe at the kids in the local skate park and I’m desperate to learn.

The treasured item you lost and wish you could have again…

A fruit knife I bought on a school trip when I was eight and lost a month ago. It was the only thing I had from that stage of my life and I used it all the time.

The poem that touches your soul…

Elegy For A Still-Born Child by Seamus Heaney, which is about the loss of a baby. It sums up the grief you feel after the death of a loved one.

The misapprehension about yourself you wish you could erase…

Whenever I ask tough questions during an interview with a politician people assume I’m pushing my own views. I’m actually playing devil’s advocate.

The event that altered the course of your life and character…

Becoming a mother at 38. Suddenly I had this little blob who couldn’t survive without me. I had to get organised – fast!

The crime you would commit knowing you could get away with it…

I’d be like Robin Hood and steal from the rich to give to the poor.

The song that means most to you…

Make You Feel My Love by Bob Dylan. It was the first dance at our wedding and it was also the song Derek posted through my door on a CD after our first big row when we were dating. He added the note, ‘Listen to this and forgive me.’ It worked!

The way you would spend your fantasy 24 hours, with no travel restrictions…

I’d wake up without an alarm clock. After 20 years of being woken at 2.15am, there is no greater treat. It would be Christmas morning. My family and I would open presents in our pyjamas. I’d then have breakfast with Derek at a café by Lake Como, Italy. I’d meet up with mates in LA for a gossip. We’d have mani-pedis, then go for lunch at a trendy restaurant. Later, I’d go bodyboarding with the family in Cornwall and have fish and chips. I’d then go snorkelling in Tobago in the Caribbean and watch pelicans diving into the sea at sunset. I’d spend the night partying in Ibiza. I’ve never been, but I have visions of some kind of wild foam party!

The happiest moment you will cherish forever…

Telling the people behind the children’s communication charity I CAN that the kids’ clothing range I’d created for them would be sold in stores across the UK. The money made will go to youngsters who are trapped and lonely because they can’t speak.

The saddest time that shook your world…

When my grandfather Ray died aged 94 when I was 28. I’d had all four of my grandparents until then and they all had a huge influence on me.

The unfulfilled ambition that continues to haunt you…

I keep resolving to get fit, but then daily life kicks in.

The philosophy that underpins your life…

Don’t dream of a better life, create the life you dream of.

The order of service at your funeral…

I’d love a huge gathering of all the people I’ve met during my life. They’d share memories, the drink would flow and the dancing would go on all night.

The way you want to be remembered…

As a good friend who tried to be kind.

The Plug…

Kite & Cosmic clothes, designed by Kate and M& Co for children’s communication charity I CAN, are available at mandco.com. Also visit ican.org.uk.

‘My mum is irritatingly beautiful – boys I fancied who came to see me were more keen to chat to her!’