Credo: Nadira Murray

Partner of Craig Murray, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, and actor, 26

I believe in love but I don't trust men. I know from experience that my trust will be abused by them.

I am very curious and a risk-taker, which sometimes gets me into trouble. But whatever the trouble, I won't be broken by it. Once, in Uzbekistan, I went to a party full of strangers. I shouldn't have, but I did it out of curiosity. A policeman there wanted to have fun with me against my will. I couldn't stop him, because he was powerful. But I didn't show my tears, I didn't beg him to stop – because that's what he wanted. I found a way of turning it into a sort of victory.

You have to take responsibility for who you are in life. I had offers to make good money and live in luxury. But I'd rather sacrifice some things to go my own way. For example, if I'd wanted to become a prostitute, I'd have made really good money. I've got loads of friends who are prostitutes and I don't mind at all. That's their way. But I would rather do things my own way.

Theatre allows you to be yourself in different ways. There are some things you can't do in real life, but in theatre, you can be as crazily expressive as you like.

I'm a feminist, in a feminine way. Sometimes people get confused by

that. But whatever I do, to men I will still look like a sex object. I'm not trying to be liked by men, but neither do I want to cover up my body to avoid looking like a sex object.

Britain is a free country, with free ideas and opinions. And it's good to be free. But there's a little danger in having too much free opinion. You can forget about responsibility. Too much freedom can make you a bit selfish.

'The British Ambassador's Bellydancer' is at the Arts Theatre, London WC2, 0207 836 2132, www.artstheatrelondon.com, from tomorrow until 23 February