“Two years ago, if anyone had told me I’d be doing half the stuff I’m doing, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

I love the fact I grew up wanting a brother and now I have four.

It’s pretty strange because you have images of people in your head when you left, then you just think they’re going to be the same when you come back, like time freezes. I have sisters and from the ages of 11 to 13 – it’s a big change for girls.

I prefer to date younger girls to be more protective.

And remember, nobody’s feelings are more important than your own, so take time to love yourself.

I love samosas filled with mincemeat. My mum makes really great ones.

Loving you is what I’ve learned so easily but trying to forget you is the last thing I could hardly learn.

Smile doesn’t mean that someone is happy. Sometimes it just means that you’re strong.

You can say whatever you want about me, I’m not really bothered. But when it starts to upset people I care about or I hear about it from my mum, then that’s a problem.

I’m kind of like a bit of everything wrapped into one.

When people are putting pressure on me I just completely ignore it.

It hurts me when seeing a girl cry. I want to comfort them as long as I canor I’ll end up crying too.

Fans aren’t just fans… they’re part of my family.

I’m not one to get involved with what anyone says about me.

I wouldn’t change anything ’cause I love my life.

No matter how many times people try to criticize you, the best revenge is to prove them wrong.

Don’t call a girl obsessed when she’s in love.

I don’t believe in elitism. I don’t think the audience is this dumb person lower than me. I am the audience.

Of course I believe in marriage. Commitment to one other person in life is glorious.

I believe if God doesn’t give you a miracle, you are a miracle of God for somebody else’s salvation.

Never let any mistake cause you to stop believing in yourself. Learn from it and go on.

When scientifically investigating the natural world, the only thing worse than a blind believer is a seeing denier.

I did not believe political directives could be successfully applied to creative writing . . . not to poetry or fiction, which to be valid had to express as truthfully as possible the individual emotions and reactions of the writer.

I feel very strongly that curves are natural, womanly and real. I shall continue to hope that women are able to believe in themselves for who they are inside, and not feel under such incredible pressure to be unnaturally thin.

One lady told me that before she saw ‘Sounder’ she didn’t believe black people could love each other, have deep relationships in the same way as white people.