Liz Jones: Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them?

The question

Originally asked

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

The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.

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

Liz Jones

British journalist

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Celia Hammond: she gave up a glamorous life to rescue cats.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 September 2013 source ↗

Mentioned in this answer

Gloria Steinem.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, February 2025 source ↗

Sam Shepard American playwright and actor

That's a hard one. All of the great writers whom I admire have died. I guess the most recent one would be Márquez.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 21 June 2014 source ↗

Simone Biles United States artistic gymnast

My parents: they raised me to be the best I can be.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 25 February 2017 source ↗

Elaine Paige English singer and actress

The Queen. Long may she reign.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 September 2016 source ↗

Heartbeats, by Jose González.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 September 2013 source ↗

Married, in my Georgian house, four cats. It lasted a day.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 September 2013 source ↗

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