The Proust Questionnaire

Favourite virtue:

honesty, loyalty, compassion and patience

Favourite qualities in a man:

selflessness, strength and a sense of humour

Favourite qualities in a woman:

kindness and dignity

Biggest flaw:

stubbornness

Favourite occupation:

reading and spending time with my loved ones

Chief characteristic:

strong-willed

Idea of happiness:

having a home-made dinner with friends and family or travelling with my husband and son

Your idea of misery:

my loved ones being sick

Favourite colour:

yellow

If not yourself, who would you be?

I like who I am because I am a work in progress

Where would you like to live?

In Paris for a year.

Favourite authors?

Too many to name

Favourite painters?

Sergei Chepik, James Nares, Sam Toft, Amir Temergaleev, Evgenya Gapchinsakya to name a few.

Favourite heroes in real life?

My father and Brompton’s hospital paediatric team

Favourite heroines in fiction?

Thais of Athens

Favourite drink?

Good, full-bodied red wine or Russian Standard vodka

What characters in history do you most dislike?

Cruel ones

What is your present state of mind?

Excited but apprehensive

For what fault have you most toleration?

Shyness

Your favourite motto:

treat other people how you want to be treated

How would you like to die?

Peacefully in old age, before I become a burden to my family