The journey to Burma is etched in my brain, full of all sorts of intense memories.

I don't have a good memory, so learning all the songs for my TV performances was a real challenge.

When I was 14 or 15, I was in a small troupe for teenagers, and I heard somebody say, 'Oh, she'll never get anywhere. She's too common.'

I never smoked myself because it lowers your voice and mine was already low. Some singers liked their smoky voices though, like Marlene Dietrich.

I think people looked at me as one of them - an ordinary girl from an ordinary family with a voice they could recognise.

I always felt that whatever I had to endure was nothing compared to what the average soldier, sailor or airman had to put up with.

I never, ever go to bed with make-up on; I always make sure I cleanse with Nivea Gentle Cleansing Cream Wash.

Entertaining the boys in Burma was something that I will never forget and will remain a highlight of my life.

Mum worked for a London dressmaker before she married. When she was forced to give up work after her marriage, she carried on dressmaking for people at home.

I didn't mind a bit of hardship.

Singing in the jungle was very hot and very sticky, which was a bit hard going. I had a little piano, which they trudged around on the back of a lorry, hoping it would survive the journeys.

I always took things very seriously. Always have done.

It is so important that British children are taught about the World Wars that their great grandparents fought in and lived through. It was a terrifying time.

I've liked country music for as long as I can remember, especially the songs of Dolly Parton. Her lyrics are similar to mine: simple, expressive, from the heart. Our voices are in the same kind of register, too.

I have always managed to combine my family life and my career, but there came a point when I had to choose between a career in America and my family. I chose my family.

Remember to stand tall and tuck your tummy in - very important as you get older!

When I left school at 14, I thought I had better get a job. I got one in a factory where I sewed on buttons. It was so boring and we weren't allowed to talk or sing. I lasted a day.

I was born with a passion for music.

Keep interested, read books, watch television and try to keep in touch with life and what people are doing, seeing and enjoying.

There was so little said about the Burmese war. The Forgotten 14th, they called them.

I'm a girl from East Ham.

I can never waste water. If I cannot drink it I will use it to water the plants and I will never waste food. If it is inedible it goes on the compost heap.

When I was a toddler, I fell ill with diphtheritic croup and was taken to an isolation unit. One of my earliest memories is of being on my own in a tent surrounded by steaming kettles.

Perhaps it is no surprise I became an entertainer because many of my relatives were natural performers. Dad, who had a fine pair of lungs, was master of ceremonies at East Ham working men's club in east London. I felt so proud when I saw him in his white gloves calling out the names of the dances.

Dad, who worked as a plumber, was a quiet and undemanding man who liked to laugh - and he was a very good dancer.

I have a Children's Charity in Cuckfield, West Sussex, which helps young children affected by cerebral palsy and associated disorders. The perseverance these young people display every day is inspirational.

In wartime you never know what is going to happen, you never know whether you will still be around tomorrow, and that is a great leveller.

You can't have it all one way - be on the telly and the radio and make lots of money - and not offer anything to your followers when they need you.

Getting an upset tummy is never pleasant, and it's worse if you get a funny tummy a long way from home.

On one occasion I had to sleep on a stretcher balanced on two kitchen chairs. It wasn't glamorous.

I've been blessed to be able to sing and perform.