"Dolls! I loved to open up their stomachs and see what was inside of them! I quickly moved on to records!"
What do you mean when you said about opening up your dolls stomachs?
"I'd like to explain what I meant when i said that I used to open up a dolls stomach. Apparantly psycologists say that a child who breaks up a favourite toy shows a sign that he/she is sane.
Can I tell you a story? Well, when I was a little girl I was given a doll that sang. She had a sort of tape in her back and every time I pushed it into place she would sing. I loved that doll so much that i played it non- stop- so much that in the end I broke it!
I was absolutely devastated and cried for hours on end. My beautiful doll couldn't sing anymore! My father told me not to worry and that he'd take her to the hospital to see if they could do anything to save her. Whilst my father had gone to take dolly to the hospital, I sat worrying and imagining dolly lying there in hospital with an oxygen mask and doctors operating on her trying to make her better. Really he'd gone out to chuck the broken doll in the bin and to buy a new one that was the same.
Obviously, when my father came back home with a new one (who I thought was the broken one that had been saved), I felt an immense joy! But then, I ws only four years old!
Something else that I used to like doing was cutting my dolls hair. My mother didn't want me to do it, but I just couldn't resist! I remember having dolls with long blonde hair. They were most probably presents from relatives and that's the reason why my mother didn't like me doing it. I apologise to all of my relatives- but I just couldn't help playing with my dolls without destroying them!"
We also need to talk about your cats... Every article I encounter seems to have different names for them, what are their real names?
"Did you really find differnt names for my cats? I can't believe it! Lets put a stop to this- I'll tell you their names: Chicca (the eldest she'll be 11 years old next May, she's a grey cat), Vicky (she'll be 8 years old next july, she's a white cat) and Ninina (she's a black cat aged 3, her real name is Gnignina but it's so stupid that I prefer to call her Ninina). Now you know everything about my cats!! As you've noticd they're all females and they're very sweet!"
Gnignina? How did you get that name? Is it Italian?
Her name really is "Gnignina"! You wouldn't know the name even if you were Italian because I made it up myself- I'm such a creative girl! Anyway, I call her Ninina for short because it's not so difficult to pronounce! She's the craziest out of all 3 of my cats. She's never afraid, a bit like your guinea pig (Sandi) really. Although the only thing that frightens her are carrier bags- she's frightened of the noise they make!
There are times when I can't find her all day. I look in the wardrobe, on the chairs, out on the terrace and even behind the bed- I'm never able to find her! I'm actually losing hope because she comes out of the strangest places these days. Cats are really crazy animals, but funny too!
I'll never have a house without a pet!!"
Interview conducted May 1999
