Where were you brought up, and which languages did you speak at home /with the family?

I was born and brought up in Africa moving from Tanzania to South Africa, to Kenya and then Egypt before being packed off to boarding school in the UK at the age of 10. As my mother is English and my father Italian, we spoke those two languages at home.

Which languages did you study at school or at University?

My parents spoke French when they didn't what us to understand something they were saying, so I realised I needed to learn that language pretty quickly ! It was always one of my strongest subjects. I got A grades at GCSE and A level and 2:1 at University, but my French is very rusty now.

Why did you choose a career in the media?

In Africa where we didn't even have telly, my little tape-recording machine seemed to me like magic ! I would record little stories and imaginary conversations and re-play them. Plus I have the languages and love of travel, so when I was older, broadcast journalism just seemed like the most ideal job. It came to me in a Eureka moment. So you could say I chose it as I thought it would suit my character, but I quickly discovered a love of news and a will to hi-light the wrongs in our world. I still feel strongly that if you don't bring attention to things, nothing can improve.

As a journalist, how have your linguistic skills helped you to do your job?

I worked at EuroNews in France for a year where we sometimes had to simultaneously translate press conferences from French into English which was quite a challenge. I have also used my Italian a lot when broadcasting in Italy for example when Pope John Paul II died, and after the earthquake in L'Aquila in April, where during live broadcasts I was speaking to people in Italian and translating their answers into English. Some people may think I'm showing off, but you'd be surprised how behind the country is as a whole when it comes to speaking English. It's only in the last 15 years that Italians have cottoned onto the fact that English is a vital language to have, so most people you speak to can't converse in English. As live broascasts are so short , maybe only 2 -3 minutes, there's no time to persevere with someone speaking broken English, which is why I've worked out that the best option is just to speak Italian and translate.

So many young people in Wales and the UK drop their MFL studies aged 14. What do you think is lost when they do this?

Having a MFL up your sleeve is a huge bonus. It sets you apart from the crowd, it adds another dimension to you, it allows you the possibility of connecting with people in another country the way you can't when you don't speak the lingo. MFLs give you confidence, they can open doors for you and will always impress other people , especially the ones that gave up MFLs at school!

What can be done at school to make languages more appealing/relevant to young people?

It is difficult when languages aren't a part of your upbringing to understand why they're so important. I can imagine that had I not had such an international childhood, I would have been quite indifferent to learning a language at school. I think the fact that languages can broaden your horizons, has to be the most important factor. they can be the difference between a good job and an awesome career or a summer fling and a lifelong relationship! I think youngsters should go abroad as soon as possible...there's nothing like not being able to order an icecream because you don't know the language, to spur you onto learning it!

Where have you spent the longest time abroad, and what are your favourite places?

My first 10 years in Africa were magical. Espeially Kenya. i remember everything like it was yesterday, even though I was only 4 - 6 years old in Kenya. They say Africa gets into your system and it's true. I liked Egypt too espeically riding every Saturday by the Pyramids. I enjoyed living in Lyon when I worked at EuroNews and I love the part of Tuscany where my family are from - the real Tuscany, not "Chiantishire". I got engaged in Paris but I think Rome is my favourite city.

Do you think that speaking more than one language can change your view of the world?

See answers 5 + 6 !

Is there a language you would like to learn in future, and why?

I wish I'd remembered the Arabic I learned in Egypt. Obviously I was still quite young so it was basic stuff I knew. But if I could turn back time, I would have built on that and I would have studied Arabic at Uni. I would love to learn it in future.