What did you want to be when you were growing up?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

This is a standing question in The Guardian's decades-long The Q&A and also recurs independently in career and life interviews.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Michelle Dockery said elsewhere, not written here
Many things. I remember wanting to be a vet, a ballet dancer and a hairdresser.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 4 January 2020 source ↗

Others on this question

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Johanna Konta British tennis player
When I was five, I wanted to be a cleaning lady; when I was nine, I wanted to be the world’s number one tennis player.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 30 June 2018 source ↗
Fearne Cotton
An air steward, because I loved airports. I wrote a letter to British Airways when I was seven and I’ve got the reply in the loft, which says, “You’re a bit young at seven but do stay in touch.” I was that kind of kid who was eager to start the ball rolling.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 March 2026 source ↗

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