CW: Hi Kathy! You are urging long-suffering ladies to stop trying to do it all. Do you think it’s hard being a woman?

KL: Yeah! All the things women have to put up with! We have periods, pregnancy, childbirth, mastitis and the menopause. Then just when it goes quiet and you think ‘Thank God it’s all over’ do you know what happens? You grow a beard.

CW: You are a proud champion of women. What is it you love about female company?

KL: Your girlfriends act like human wonderbras – they’re uplifting, supportive and make their friends look bigger and better - all my books are about that. No matter what life throws at you, however men betray you and you have your heart broken you’ve got to have good women around you to keep you buoyant and happy. I always write with humour because women are funny. When you go on a girls’ night out you almost have to be hospitalised from hilarity.

CW: You’ve new paperback ‘To Love Honour and Betray’ is out now, can you tell me a bit about it?

KL: It’s about what happens when women are in their 40s and their husbands trade them in for a younger model. It’s also about what it’s like raising a teenager. Living with a teenage daughter is like living with the Taliban. You’re not allowed to laugh, sing, dance or wear short skirts. I’ve decided teenage daughters are God’s punishment for having sex in the first place. It’s so awful.

From 13 to 16 it’s like they’ve been taken hostage by their hormones. The ‘I find my mother deeply embarrassing’ gene kicks in. Thankfully my daughter is coming out the other side now.

I do have a fantastic survival tip from ‘Love, Honour and Betray’ though. When your daughter is kicking you and screaming at you: “I wish you were dead!” Take a big drag on a cigarette and a big gulp of wine and say, “Well, I’m doing my best darling”.

CW: I hear you’ve also written a waterproof book…

KL: Yeah, it’s called ‘All Steamed Up’ and it’s the world’s first waterproof book. Women do so much and get so exhausted so we’ve got to have some time out for ourselves. It’s waterproof so you can soak in the bath and read it!

CW: You seem to love getting under the skin of women…

KL: I’ve written ten novels now always from a female perspective. Until we get equal pay and stop getting concussion hitting our heads on the glass ceiling I think we’re allowed to comically kneecap men. So lock the door and take time out for yourself. It’s a little bit selfish but it’s much cheaper than a divorce or a nervous breakdown and much more practical than going to prison for attacking your husband with a carving knife!

CW: Have you ever felt like that?

KL: Oh, dear God. All the time!

CW: Dannii Minogue is one of your closest girl pals, is it nice to see her so happy and starting a family with her boyfriend Kris?

KL: Dannii is really in love and Kris is just lovely. They came here for lunch recently and lunch drifted on into the evening. Kris is so young and gorgeous that I assumed he’d probably want to go clubbing or something but he stayed all night playing stupid games like Scrabble, Articulate and Charades and laughing. He’s a really down-to-earth guy. I’ve never seen her so happy.

CW: You’re also friends with Kylie do you see much of her?

KL: A few months ago I went to New York to see Kylie. She was on tour out there and it seemed like Kylie’s mum and me were the only women in the audience. There were all these beautiful gay men in lamé hot pants who went mad for her! She took the roof off.

CW: What are the Minogue family like?

KL: Their parents are fabulous. I first met their dad Ron when he was visiting London and he told me, “Kath since I got here I’ve been defrosting those girls’ fridges with a hairdryer.” It’s no wonder they’re so down-to-earth. With parents like that you can’t get a big head. They’ve become good friends of mine.

CW: Lastly do you have any advice for budding authors?

KL: If you want to write start doing a blog to get your profile up. Even the writers I know who are making real names for themselves find it difficult. It’s hard for everyone, even established authors, but you’ve got to persevere.

Kathy Lette has partnered up with the Radox ‘Be Selfish’ campaign to write All Steamed Up. For your free copy go to www.be-selfish.co.uk