I never expected to like her at all - she has quite a reputation for being difficult and once told a male interviewer that she would no longer give interviews to female journalists because 'I don't trust other women in these situations. They establish a sisterhood with you and then betray it every time.' But actually I found her chatty, friendly, good humoured.

The lush sound and the sheer power of her voice are, to put it simply, incredible.

She is confident when she talks about singing and stagecraft, surprisingly diffident when it comes to anything outside her field.

I would have liked to have had kids, and had a family, but I think in my profession it's quite difficult to achieve because you're always working. I think I'm …