With former Blue Peter presenter and children’s author Konnie Huq

The ex-blue Peter presenter-turned-author, 44, lives in west London with her husband, Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker, and their sons Covey, seven, and Huxley, five

Not a lot of people know this but I’m very good at…

impersonations of Bart Simpson. I hadn’t done it for years until my kids saw The Simpsons and I did my impersonation for them. They weren’t as impressed as I’d have liked, but I got a chuckle out of them. That’s a few mum points.

My best friend is…

I have different friends for different occasions. There’s a friend I’ll go to when I have to do a photo shoot or be fashionable and another one who’s a mum for kids’ advice. But most of them are pretty good all-rounders.

I’m definitely a girl’s girl.

My nickname is…

Konnie, because my actual name is Kanak, pronounced “kon-ook.” It’s Sanskrit for gold. It was all very confusing when the teacher read Kanak off the register and I’d have to explain this elaborate name, so I just became Konnie.

The bravest thing I’ve ever done is…

diving with sharks and feeding them – and not from a cage – in my Blue Peter days. I was wearing a special diving suit made of chain mail instead of neoprene. The sharks bashed my head as they passed. I thought, “How bad can it be? The BBC will be in more trouble than me if I die.” That’s how I got through most scary things.

My favourite TV show is…

I’ll say Black Mirror, because my husband makes it. It makes you think and takes you out of your comfort zone. The scenarios are all things that aren’t that far-fetched and a lot have become reality. In China, for example, they have citizenship scores where people are given a rating for things like being late for doctor’s appointments and if your score is bad they can penalise you.

My perfect evening is…

having a really good meal cooked by Charlie and then watching something together. That’s the dream scenario. Recently we’ve liked Chernobyl and I’m currently liking Killer Ratings on Netflix. The boys would be in bed – they’re not included in a good evening.

I would like to say sorry to…

the next generation because we’ve messed it up for them. Hopefully, things are solvable, but the way politics is going, plus climate change and socio-economic circumstances, I feel we have a lot to apologise for.

My first kiss was…

It might have been in primary school from Simon Chase, who was really freckly and had thick-rimmed tortoiseshell glasses. I was mortified because it was during a game of kiss chase in the playground. I was quite good at running short distances and expected to get to “home” in time and it really threw me when Simon caught me.

My biggest regret is…

I could have had kids earlier, maybe. I often think I’m going to be ready for my Freedom Pass by the time they leave home, which is a depressing thought. I had my first at 36, but everybody seems to be having kids older these days, so that’s how I console myself for being a geriatric mother.

The one thing I’d change about myself is…

I’m quite impatient and I wish I wasn’t, but I can’t help it. I can’t sit in traffic, for example.

The best thing my parents taught me was…

don’t waste stuff – not time, food, money or opportunity. I don’t like people over-buying clothes and wearing two per cent of their wardrobe. I haven’t bought clothes since I left Blue Peter. I’ve got loads of clothes and don’t need more in my life. I always eat what’s on my plate, too. Even at a little party or work thing, if there’s a platter of food I’ll be like, “You can’t throw that away.” I’ll eat it even if I’m not hungry just so it’s not gone to waste.

The last time I cried was….

I cry all the time. Most recently when I presented at the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals. The actual Carnegie medal went to Elizabeth Acevedo, who was writing about a girl who’s brilliant at poetry. She made this amazing speech about empowering kids when they’re young. It was moving.

The first record I ever bought was…

The Banana Splits theme tune on yellow vinyl. My sister was a teenager and it was probably hers, but I liked the song. I also had The Jungle Book album when I was very young.

It’s not good for my image, but I like…

driving, when I consider myself to be environmentally aware. The way I get around it is that I have an electric car. I also like flying, although obviously I hate the thought of its carbon footprint. I like it because you can just switch the phone off and nobody can contact you and if the boys are asleep, then flying is better than the actual holiday.

My greatest weakness is…

chocolate. I just love truffles and ganaches and pralines. I have them as often as possible, but not every day.

If could pass any law I would…

make sure there’s a library in every school – with a librarian.

I drive…

a Mitsubishi hybrid plug-in electric vehicle, also known as a PHEV. I love the fact that I can do electric driving, because it’s annoying that people drive 4x4 gas guzzlers.

The shop I can’t walk past…

I can walk past most shops but I love a bookshop because it contains knowledge and my book that’s coming out. My favourite bookshop is Booth’s in Hay on Wye which has a really cool basement, a coffee shop and armchairs. I’m more of a Kindle person now because my husband bought me one and because we’ve got no shelf space left in our house. Our books are piling up on the floor – at first it looked nice and bohemian, but then it got too much and I need to take some to the charity shop.

The most expensive thing I’ve splashed out on is…

probably a holiday. I’m not into things. Even when my husband

was buying my wedding ring, I said, “Please don’t spend a lot of money, because I’ll probably just lose it.” We ended up buying my wedding ring in Vegas on the day we got married. As for a holiday, we’re not going away for summer – trying to be ecologically aware – but Charlie’s already booked a holiday in Barbados for Christmas.

My perfect Sunday is…

going to see a film with the kids and then maybe having a Sunday roast at a pub or at home. Or going somewhere outdoorsy like Richmond Park, Hyde Park or Holland Park. My husband would like all that, too. Then the kids would go to sleep and we’d have our perfect evening.

My favourite place in Britain is…

my bed. I am a homebody and I love our neighbourhood. In Ealing it’s quick to get to the countryside or central London, it has Waitrose, but it has Lidl, it has pound shops and boutique shops. It keeps it real.

I am currently reading…

The Tattooist Of Auschwitz, which is a true story. I now have got to the point in life that when I read and watch things, I need to be learning something.

The best day of my life was…

It’s a cliché, but having my kids and getting married were the best days and I can’t put them in a pecking order or there will be warfare in the house. My younger son sometimes asks me if

I love him more than my other son, so I don’t want to go down that road.

If I had half an hour left on Earth, I would…

be with my kids and my husband and a table full of truffles.

Konnie’s debut children’s book, Cookie And The Most Annoying Boy In The World (Piccadilly Press, £10.99), is out now. See Express Bookshop on page 77.