Gaby Roslin: never take people at face value

Gaby Roslin made her name on Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast in the 1990s and co-presented the BBC’s Children in Need for ten years. She recently presented Sport Relief's Top Dog on BBC2.

I’ve given this beautiful book to so many friends and told them, “Please read this. It will change your life.” Mitch Alborn’s true story of a young man (himself) interviewing an older man and learning from his philosophy of life is the most thought-provoking book I’ve read as an adult. It made me look at the world differently—with more appreciation of how lucky I am. It also reinforced my belief that you should never take people at face value, but look beneath the surface. It’s about the importance of listening, and learning from others.

I used to walk around our house singing Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” until my mother suggested I actually read the book. I read it in my bedroom, aged 14, lost in the romanticism and imagining myself on those evocative moors. It felt so grown-up, a magical discovery I didn’t have to share with anyone. It was completely my own and I loved it.

This was my grandmother’s favourite. She’d say “I do believe in fairies!” and the book has taken on an almost mythical status in our family. I remember reading it on my own as a child and getting lost in the fantasy. How I adored Peter and how I longed to be Wendy!

Reading it as an adult is a different experience: the concept of never growing up, which seems so far off for a child, is such a wonderful idea and reminds us not to take life too seriously. All my family are great believers in holding onto childlike qualities and it’s something I’ve tried to impart to my own daughters.

I have a beautiful first edition, with the stunning illustrations by Arthur Rackham, which I hold very dear.