Ages ago, my girlfriend had this little park near her house, with a bridge running over a stream... and I set up all these candles on the bridge. But when I called her and told her she said it was too dark and she wasn't coming out.

I miss my parents a lot. I obviously don't see them loads anyway because they live up north. But knowing that they're only a couple of hours away is a lot different than knowing that they're 12 hours away.

I meditate and pray before going onstage - it helps me focus.

You get a lot of who you are as a musician across through the music you write. If you're writing your own music, then it's important to be really honest.

For your friends and family, you are always a champion, but for the media and sponsors, not until you show a spark. Making a champ is more important than celebrating one. I want to be there for youngsters and help them do their best.

My characters live inside my head for a long time before I actually start a book about them. Then, they become so real to me I talk about them at the dinner table as if they are real. Some people consider this weird. But my family understands.

I'll never forget this memory: I was at home, and suddenly my father came home with 10 footballs for me. I lived by a football pitch, so every day, I'd take the ball and practice shooting.

I come from a middle-class family, but we are open-minded people.