I was offered a year-long contract on the BBC's newly launched Breakfast Time (1983), which was presented by Selina Scott and Frank Bough. Selina was lovely, but at a lunch to meet the team, Frank whispered in my ear, 'Well, young lady, I wonder how long it will be before I'm having an affair with you?' After that, sharing a sofa with him was very awkward.
When I told my dad that I had got a job as a continuity announcer on Westward TV in Plymouth, he raised his eyebrow and said, 'You're too fat to be a Sue Lawley.' I wasn't upset. I was only a size 10.
I really admire my mum, Ruth. She raised me and my sister, Cherry, who is eight years older, on her own, on a very small budget. The amazing thing is, we never knew that times were hard.