Ruby Wax has admitted that she didn’t enjoy school ©Rex Features

After moving from America to the UK, Ruby Wax started her acting career at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.

In 1985 she won a role in British sitcom Girls On Top and was given her own show Don’t Miss Wax two years later. Ruby made a number of appearances in Absolutely Fabulous in the 1990s.

Ruby was a contestant on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice in 2009.

How do you take your tea?

I drink a lot of it, all day long. 
I like Earl Grey or English Breakfast, with honey.

Who would you most like 
to have a cup of tea with?

President Obama – to find 
out more about what’s going 
on in the world.
What was your favourite subject at school?

Strangely enough, I never liked school and I didn’t do very well because I just wasn’t interested.

All I really wanted to do was entertain people.

What’s your earliest memory of performing?

I vividly remember making jokes at school and getting a lot of laughs. I was definitely the class comedian.

What first prompted you 
to write your book Sane New World: Taming The Mind?

Growing up, I was always interested in how the brain worked, but then there wasn’t really the option to study it.

So eventually, I decided to go to Oxford and study for a Masters degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. That’s where the book idea originally came from.

You’ve now adapted the book into a touring show. Tell us a bit about that.

It was always going to become a show, as I really liked the idea of bringing comedy into it to grab people’s attention.

Our minds are very complex, and even those without a mental illness can sometimes struggle to stay sane!

What would you say has been your biggest career highlight to date?

I’m lucky to have had a very varied career, but speaking 
at the global TED Talks conferences (ted.com/speakers/ruby_wax) and performing 
with the Royal Shakespeare Company are two things that spring to mind.

What would an ideal weekend be like for you?

I’d go to Cape Town, if I could! But otherwise, I’m very happy 
to just see my friends, read 
and write.

Sane New World: Taming 
The Mind (£8.99, Hodder & Stoughton) is out now. For details of Ruby’s tour, visit rubywax.net