The 5-minute Interview: Angellica Bell, Television and radio presenter

'I love the idea of seducing knights'

(BBC)

Bell, 29, began her career in children's television, spent six years as a presenter on CBBC. Since leaving in 2006, she has hosted a show on BBC Radio 3 and is now a roving reporter on BBC1's 'The One Show'

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

Playing the brain training game on my Nintendo. I got it for Christmas and it's brilliant.

The most surprising thing ever to happen to me was...

Running the marathon. When I said I'd do it I was a bit chubby, not that fit and never run outdoors in my life. The first time I went running I thought I'd have a cardiac arrest after five minutes but doing it has made me realise you can achieve anything if you set your mind to it.

A phrase I use far too often is...

"Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." It's from the Bible. My mum's quite religious and we'd say it to annoy her.

I wish people would take more notice of...

Warnings about climate change. People should stop relying on others to take the lead.

A common misperception of me is...

That I don't take life seriously. Because I presented children's television people tend to give me the brush-off but I actually have a degree in politics.

You know me as a television presenter, but in truer life I'd have been...

The woman in Sir Frank Dicksee's painting La Belle Dame sans Merci. I always wanted to have long red hair, and I love the idea of seducing knights.

I am not a politician but...

If I could, I'd do more about child poverty in the UK.

I'm good at...

Finding information about people that they wouldn't necessarily want to reveal. People say that I can get information out of a stone.

I'm very bad at ...

If I've got a plan for the day I get frustrated when something goes wrong – maybe I'm a control freak!

The best age to be is...

Whatever age you are. I don't think that you should live in the past or future.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is...

Live every day like it could be your last... and never hold a grudge.

Gavriel Hollander