I’ve shat myself in public three times. It’s never quite as bad as you fear.
Which moment embarrassed you most?
Question
Which trait do you most dislike in yourself?
Identity & self
Question
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Daily life
Question
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
Failure & regret
Question
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Identity & self
Question
What does love feel like?
Relationships
Question
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Craft & work
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A verbatim recurring question in The Guardian's Q&A series.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
When I concentrate, I put my thumb in my mouth. I once did it during a really important meeting when asked a question I didn’t know the answer to. When I left the meeting my friend said: “What did you put your thumb in your mouth for?” I didn’t know I’d done it.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 29 August 2026 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 122 →Going on stage and saying, “Good evening Lyon!” I was in Marseille.
Sofia Coppola
American filmmaker and actress
Being on the cover of a magazine at 18 with the slogan: “Did she ruin The Godfather?”
Being misrepresented by a Sun journalist 12 years ago.
More from Adele Parks
View profile →Speaking negatively to myself.
A sushi chef in my kitchen.
I would become fitter younger. Because I would have been hotter younger!
Enthusiastic, resilient, empathetic.
A mix – safety to be yourself, acceptance, a feeling of peace and reliance, but also challenge, whether that’s intellectual or emotional.
How much my son loves me, particularly considering I’ve had a huge career.
More on failure & regret
- What has been your biggest disappointment? 366 answers
- Who most deserves an apology from you, and why? 209 answers
- If you could edit your past, what would you change? 203 answers
- What is the worst thing anyone has said to you? 122 answers
- How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a favourite failure? 63 answers
- What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? 36 answers
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Romola Garai, Marcus Mumford, Imogen Poots, Russell Mael, Lee Child, Helen Skelton
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