Richard Branson
English business magnate
The births of my kids and my wedding spring to mind.
When were you happiest?
Question
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
Failure & regret
Question
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Failure & regret
Question
What would you like to be remembered for?
Death & what remains
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
Daily life
Question
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Values & belief
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Asked in 52 of the 131 consecutive instalments of The Guardian's The Q&A harvested on 2026-08-29.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Before kids, when I was 13 or so, on the back of my horse, running at full speed in an open pasture. Post kids, happiness happens often, but in more subtle ways. I now prefer the word “content”.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 20 May 2017 source ↗
Others on this question
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Jessica Brown Findlay
English actress
My wedding day last year. It was supposed to be 4 April and, in the end, it was 12 September.
Paul Smith
English fashion designer
I am a happy person. I am happy every day. But if I had to pick a time it would be the first time I fell in love.
Julien Macdonald
Welsh fashion designer
With my family in Wales.
More from Christy Turlington Burns
View profile →I might speed up a few details, but wouldn’t change anything, other than my dad still being here.
My father’s death before my marriage and motherhood.
As someone who didn’t waste a minute.
The birth of my daughter.
The fact that at least 300,000 women die every year from pregnancy and childbirth-related issues that are largely preventable.
A midwife named Jennie Joseph. She is a tireless activist for women, family health and equal access to quality maternity care.
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