Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Verbatim recurring item in The Guardian Q&A; two fully readable publisher-hosted respondent pages establish institutional recurrence.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 March 2026 source ↗
I am an ambassador for Rotary, and we are very close to eradicating polio. When I was younger, I lived in Mumbai and, as a kid from England, I was traumatised by seeing children on the street without limbs.
My marriage and my sobriety. The sobriety makes the marriage possible.
My books. There’s no greater feeling than a disabled child coming up to me and saying, “I’ve never seen myself in a book before.”
The Blazing World.
The more you face shame and stare it in the eyes and talk about it, the less potent it is.
Impatience. I’m not very good at waiting around or dealing with things that aren’t moving at a pace that I want them to.
Superiority. I shrink when I’m around people who act superior, whether it’s due to authority or intellect. I almost become mute.
On radio, I once said “anal” instead of “angel”.
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.
People have said, “I wish you would die.” That’s the stark truth of being in the public eye – people dehumanise you and say ghastly things.
Emily Mortimer, Shirley Manson, Elaine Paige, Zack Polanski, Ethan Hawke, Gareth Bale
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