I have loved 'Countdown' for years. I always used to watch it when I got home from school. To be actually on the programme is a big challenge.
I'm really lucky to be in the TV industry and to have a regular yearly contract. That gives me security.
Even though you picture Russians as stoic, their language is really poetic.
There's no such thing as a 'maths brain.' Anyone can be numerate; it's just a matter of confidence. There are so many opportunities to improve your skills during everyday life, doing even a little a day can make maths feel more familiar and less scary.
People can underestimate you when you're blonde and from Essex, but it's easy to shut that down. I used to get dumb blonde jokes when I was 18, but when I replied that I was studying maths at Oxford, it usually shut them up.
When I was at uni, our whole college bar would gather around the quiz machine for a few games every night.
