'I'd tell my younger self that perfection is overrated' (Mini Q&A with Mollie Quirk)

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Hello,

Last night, I started working on a new project and got my old teenage diaries out. I was looking for a specific entry when I came across an entry that caught my eye. It was February 2001 and I was 16 years old. I’d just been to the cinema with two couples and therefore had not been just the third wheel, but the fifth!

After describing how much I enjoyed the film – which by the way was Hannibal, which we snuck into as we were actually too young to be allowed ticket – I wrote:

They all felt really sorry for me I think but I really don’t give a fuck. I am of a strange breed who actually enjoys being single. Of course no-one believes me but it’s true. I like being independent and I like flirting and not having to worry [about anyone else].

Although I did actually end up going out with someone shortly after writing this, it struck me that as far back as 16, I was confident being on my own and comfortable spending time with couples when I wasn’t in one. Lately, thanks in large part to …