When it came to the stylish and graceful art of ballroom dancing, my dad was a king of the clubs, a prowling tiger and a wonderfully natural mover.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I was a dancer, and my father was a dancer, so I really grew up in that environment.
So much of my aesthetic was formed by my dad.
My father made sure that I had lots of levels of education - from ballroom-dancing to painting, commando training, theatre and magic.
Dad was certainly a free spirit and had his own ways. He was very proud of my golf achievements but more proud of the person I've turned into. He brought me up to lead a very balanced life.
My dad was very fun and very adventurous, and from a formative age I learned to value men who would do things on a whim.
My old dance teacher, Jimmy Wilde, a former European ballroom dancing champion, was so sophisticated.
My father was a professional artist all his life who encouraged my path as an artist.
My dad was a third-generation printer and linotype operator, by all accounts a fabulous ballroom dancer. He was jettisoned from the family before I was 2, and I have never met him and have no memory of him.
Everybody in our family studied a musical instrument. My father was really big on that. Somehow I only took a year or two of piano lessons and I convinced my father to let me take dancing lessons.
My dad photographed a lot of beautiful dancers. My mom was a dancer.