Question Time: Lorraine Candy

Work: Lorraine Candy, 40, has been editor-in-chief of 'ELLE' since 2004.

Life: Lives in north London with husband, James, and children Ruskaya, Gracie and Henry.

Balance: Dishing out advice on 'Project Catwalk' and 'Model Behaviour'.

What makes 'ELLE' stand out?

It has a spirited attitude and its own personality. We've put Chloë Sevigny, Mary-Kate Olsen and next month Courtney Love on our covers – they wouldn't work on any other glossy.

Which other magazines do you admire?

Vanity Fair and Private Eye. The new Interview is great and I still read Cosmo, which I used to edit.

How important is the website to the print brand?

We are a monthly, but we have to offer our readers a daily relationship. You'd be a fool not to see this as phenomenally beneficial to your print brand. Elleuk.com's new beauty channel has daily beauty news.

What inspired you to pursue a career in the media?

Flamboyant women who managed to work in a male industry. I loved Diana Vreeland and Carmel Snow, and the photographer Lee Miller. It was inspiring to work with Helen Gurley Brown, who set up Cosmopolitan.

What was your first break?

I was 16 and wrote a report on the annual fair in the Cornish town where I grew up. The local newspaper published it, gave me work experience and offered me a job six months later, so I left school.

Are there any jobs you would rather forget about?

I used to do Sunday radio at a hospital. I managed somehow to play all sorts of records ill people really wouldn't want to listen to, and made tactless jokes about broken legs.

What has been the most difficult job to pull off?

I have worked very hard to be part of London's creative fashion industry and position Elle at its centre. We have won five awards this year since we redesigned and repositioned with a more intelligent, fashion-based editorial.

What are your desert island media?

Vanity Fair, Gavin and Stacey, the News of the World and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue on Radio 4.