Susie Dent on being put in a box – and owning it

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “I loved disappearing into my homework when I got home, I’m sure that’s very strange, but it became my oasis as well, really,” she says. “They were looking at me thinking, ‘Yep, that’s it!’ Now I think it’s the coolest job in the world, but at the time there was still a sense of shame about it, which is really sad looking back.” So while from a young age, she was put in a box – “I’ve made it my box,” she says now. ‘Geek’ has become a bit of a fashionable label for people who really know their stuff – and I think that’s absolutely brilliant, because it was an insult for a long time.” Countdown, and its comedy spin off 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, is a natural fit for her competitive nature, though. “One of our sound team taught me – it’s absolutely standard, I’d just never tried it before, and it does make a massive difference.” So how else does she slow things down?