My Secret Life: Jason Donovan, actor & singer, 41

My parents were ... divorced. Divorce is always going to leave its problems and its scars, but I had love. I was brought up by my dad; it was a happy childhood.

The house I grew up in ... was a Victorian, cosy, middle-class Melbourne abode.

When I was a child I wanted to be ... an actor, like my father.

If I could change one thing about myself ... I would acquire the ability to relax and enjoy doing nothing. I'm your classic ambitious male fortysomething with a constant let's-get-things-done mentality.

You wouldn't know it but I'm very good at ... communicating, and I'm quite honest.

You may not know it but I'm no good at ... lying.

At night I dream of ... the welfare of my children and my wife.

What I see when I look in the mirror ... is someone that I respect. I've worked hard, had ups and downs and good and bad in my life, but I have respect for myself now. I get out there and give things a go.

My favourite outfit ... would be a white V-neck T-shirt and pair of army shorts, but unfortunately, living in London, I haven't put them on for the past few months.

I ride ... a regular cross-training bike. I always wear a helmet, and can often be seen in full cycling attire, complete with tight pants, which are the latest addition to my wardrobe, riding across the city.

My house is ... perfect. I've just moved in and am creating the home I've always wanted, on a street I always wanted to live in: it's comfortable, and not too avant-garde. I veer on the side of Modernism, with lots of glass, and carpets which are nice on your feet.

My favourite work of art is ... I own a Gilbert and George piece, which was iconic in the 1980s. It's of me, which is the only reason I find this particular work attractive.

My favourite building ... is the Town Hall in a suburb called Malvern in Melbourne, which I used to walk past every day on my way to school. It recalls happy memories.

A book that changed me ... I'm not actually a big reader.

Movie heaven ... would be watching a film in a decent cinema with a bottle of red wine, a cheese platter, and a couple of weeks off work and nothing to worry about either side.

The last album I downloaded ... was the latest one by The Killers. But I tend to download singles; I'm a real pop chart man.

My secret crush ... That's going to get me into trouble with my wife so I won't go down that road.

My greatest regret ... I don't have regrets, but there are things in my life I would choose to have done differently with the benefit of hindsight. I went down a pretty dark road in the 1990s and while I don't regret it, if I had my time again, I'd probably try to avoid a few particular scenarios.

My real-life villain ... is any one with power who abuses their power at the cost of people less fortunate than themselves.

The person who really makes me laugh is ... Gary Barlow [the singer from Take That].

The last time I cried ... was watching an episode of 'The Secret Millionaire' the other night on television.

My five-year plan ... I don't really have a plan. Life is quite volatile and quite precious so just try to be healthy and happy.

What's the point? The point of life is to embrace it, to love and to smile.

My life in six words ... family, work, hard work, luck, health.

A life in brief

Jason Donovan was born on 1 June 1968 in Melbourne, Australia. He rose to fame as Kylie Minogue's love interest in the soap opera Neighbours before enjoying a brief pop career. He developed a severe cocaine addiction in the 1990s, but has been clean for more than 10 years. Donovan lives with his wife and their two children in London, and stars in the War of the Worlds musical, touring in November. See thewaroftheworlds.com