KATE WINSLET

I think any form of self-expression is half confidence, half sheer hard work and, maybe, a bit of talent thrown in.

Real luxury is having the time to read endless stories in bed with my children. And I get that all the time. I'm so blessed.

I do think it's important for young women to know that magazine covers are retouched. People don't really look like that.

It's very easy to be judgmental until you know someone's truth.

The things that make me happiest in the whole world are going on the occasional picnic, either with my children or with my partner; big family gatherings; and being able to go to the grocery store - if I can get those things in, I'm doing good.

Acting, and the privilege of being able to do it for a living, is so important to me. I don't turn up and just hope for the best. I really fret about it. I do my homework; I prepare myself for the experience of playing a particular character.

I feel very strongly that 'curves' are natural, womanly and real.

A lot of the girls were awful, very catty. It was a competitive environment that I didn't like. You have no idea of the anorexia I saw around me.

One thing I love about being back is English rain. Looking out of the window now, it's raining, and the sky is dark; I love it. To me, those are reassuringly English things. I love it when it rains.

I burp, I fart. I'm a real woman.

Glamour to me is about remaining graceful and understated.

Life is short, and it is here to be lived.

The good and bad things are what form us as people... change makes us grow.

Plastic surgery and breast implants are fine for people who want that, if it makes them feel better about who they are. But, it makes these people, actors especially, fantasy figures for a fantasy world. Acting is about being real being honest.

I wouldn't dream of working on something that didn't make my gut rumble and my heart want to explode.

I'd much rather be known as some curvy Kate than as some skinny stick.

I know the true meaning of getting by by the skin of my teeth; I do. It doesn't matter whether you've got money or you haven't, whether you're famous or not. This is the case for all women, actually; you have to carry on. You always have to carry on. And you can, because you have to.

I love the routine. I love getting up in the morning and getting breakfast and packing lunches and doing the school run. Those things are really important to me. Because I think that those small but key moments are crucial for a kid.

I'm not the kind of person who's going to look at the top of a mountain and go, 'Oh, look at that! That's lovely. That's lovely, that top of that mountain.' I'm the kind of person who's going to go, 'Oh, my God! That's so lovely! Let's go climb up it!'

Those days of every child having a mummy and daddy who lived at home - Daddy went to work, and Mummy stayed at home and took care of everyone - those days have almost gone, and it's so much more unconventional now.

I'm often drawn to characters that are more obviously one thing. They're passionate, and there is always an element of strength because I think every person possesses that in some way, even if they've experienced hardship in their lives.

It's very tempting to have a nanny and live in a gated community and have a chef - I'd love to have a few dinners cooked for me. But I don't want that for my children. When they're older, if people say to them, 'Did you have a chef?' I want them to be shocked by the question.

Ah... romance to me is spontaneity. It's not diamond earrings; it's a bunch of daffodils that's freshly picked from the field.

You know why I fear people's judgment? Because I know they're judging. I know they are.

I feel like I'm playing more of a role walking down the red carpet than when I'm playing an ordinary woman covered in sweat.