Anna Williamson
Anna Williamson The Celebs Go Dating star, 38, on cooking perfect pasta, wanting to be a musical theatre actress and loving her bed
MY HIDDEN TALENT is cooking Italian food. My husband Alex is Sicilian, so if I get his seal of approval, I know
I’m doing OK. I can cook a really good tagliatelle carbonara and pasta al forno. Other food I’m crap at – as most people who follow my Instagram Stories will know – but I seem to be quite good at cooking Italian food.
MY MOST TREASURED POSSESSION is my bed. I’ve got a big, chunky, wooden, rustic bed and everybody who sees it, goes, “Oh my God, I love your bed so much.” I’ve got that bed through about five house moves. It has gone up several flights of stairs and been dismantled and put back together again, but it’s mine and I’ve had it years. I absolutely love it.
MY PLAN B was to be in musicals. But I’m not talented enough, so I never pursued that.
I’M A SPIRITUAL PERSON because I have a Christian faith and it’s the way I’ve been brought up. I take a lot of comfort, strength and stability in a spiritual upbringing.
I GET REALLY ANGRY when people are rude. My mother taught me that manners and kindness cost nothing. It’s an unnecessary reaction to anything – you can always find another way to communicate. If you’re unhappy or irritated, you don’t have to be rude.
I LIKE TO CHILL OUT by sitting on my sofa with Alex, drinking a glass of red wine and watching Netflix.
I FEEL AT MY MOST VULNERABLE when I’m tired because that’s when I can feel very weepy. When I’m tired and I’m not firing on all cylinders, my anxiety can be triggered.
I’D DESCRIBE MYSELF as fair and hard-working.
IF THE WORLD WAS GOING TO END TOMORROW I’d just be hugging and kissing my kids. I’d bring my nearest and dearest – my mum, my dad, my brothers, my husband and my children – all together and spend time with them.
THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION ABOUT ME is that
I’m a snowflake. Just because I can be seen as the softer, kinder, fairer person, doesn’t mean I don’t have an opinion or a bark.
THE PIECE OF ADVICE I’D GIVE MY 16-YEAR-OLD SELF is stop worrying about what other people think of you and don’t keep up with the Joneses just because you feel like you have to. Don’t follow the crowd. I remember I pretended I liked Pearl Jam because everybody else liked Pearl Jam – but I couldn’t stand Pearl Jam!
I WOULD LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED as someone who went above and beyond to help others.
A PROJECT I’M PROUD OF is Celebs Go Dating.
I took over a show that was well established and that’s no easy task, but I’m really proud of the fact that it’s evolved into being so much more than a dating show.
I LOOK AFTER MY MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE by keeping my mind on what I’ve got to do in the here and now. I cut out the noise and shut everything else off so I can give each task my full attention, focusing on one thing at a time.