The 5-Minute Interview: Caryn Franklin, TV presenter

'Prostitution is a valuable service'

Caryn Franklin, 48, presents 'The Clothes Show' on UKTV Style. She is supporting the Cancer Research UK Donate for a Difference campaign, to encourage donations of clothes and household items to the charity's shops

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be...

Gardening. It is one of my passions... I never bother with manicures.

A phrase I use far too often...

"I'm a woman in my prime".

I wish people would take more notice of...

Nature. I hate seeing a garden concreted over. These are sacred spaces where birds can chill out and bugs can potter.

The most surprising thing that happened to me was...

Not going into the Army and going to art college.

A common misperception of me is...

That I have a massive wardrobe full of clothes. I keep a TV wardrobe of colourful clothes that aren't really my cup of tea.

I am not a politician but...

I would legalise prostitution and make it a safe and tax-friendly environment for women to work in. I'm disgusted by society's treatment of women that provide a valuable service.

I'm good at...

Catering for huge gatherings... I have a large family. And I'm a good listener.

I'm very bad at...

So many things. Top of my list is my memory.

The ideal night out is...

Something my seven and 14-year old daughters could enjoy with me.

In moments of weakness I...

Make myself go for a run.

You know me as a fashion expert but in truer life I'd have been a...

Landscape gardener. But it's not escapism if you have to do it everyday.

The best age to be is...

The age I am right now, 48.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is this:

Tolerance and the celebration of diversity.

Sara Newman