Being stuck indoors is clearly not an issue for someone like Kim Wilde - at least not these days, anyway. After spending the majority of her early life cooped up inside dark studios during her 1980s incarnation as an international pop star (it's easy to forget - she was huge!), Kim now revels in a completely different life as a respected horticulturist. Her garden at her Hertfordshire home is fast gaining just as much attention as her designs on TV. What's more, top-quality recognition of her talents arrived recently in the form of the Gold Medal for Best Courtyard Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show which she and Richard Lucas picked up for their Cumbrian Fellside Garden.

We spoke to an extremely buoyant Kim during a brief rest from her promotional duties to talk plants, parenting and pop music...

UKTV Gardens: You seem like the perfect person to get involved with this Timotei scheme. Is it something very close to your heart?
Kim: "I'm sure I spend a lot more time outside than most but there are a lot of people out there not getting the benefits of nature who could be and should be. I don't think they realise the benefits or they just take it for granted. But we all know really that fresh air makes us feel great and that being outside is better than being inside so I think the findings of the Timotei survey are a timely reminder of that. And I'm personally very passionate about being outside and getting others out more."

UKTV Gardens: It's probably something to do with the bad weather we have. Can you live with the grey skies?
Kim: "Do you know what? For years, my dad would wake up in the morning and if he saw a grey cloud, it would ruin his day. For several years, I used to be like that as well. But I've really changed now. The fact is, there are loads of grey days in this country and you've just got to get on with it. If you let it ruin your day, you might as well write off half your life! I made a very determined decision many years ago to look on a grey day just as I would a sunny day and see all the positives about what that day can bring. Of course, now I'm a gardener, grey days are fantastic as it means there might be some rain to perk up the plants."