Zandra Rhodes, 79, shares the stories behind her favourite snaps

Zandra Rhodes, 79, (pictured) shares the stories behind a selection of her favourite snaps

1942: Here I am aged two. I was born and grew up in Chatham, Kent, during the war – apparently my mum walked to the hospital and gave birth to me during an air raid. She taught dress-making at Medway College of Design, but I pretended she wasn’t my mother when I studied there. I was good at school – it was horrible for my younger sister because she was always told she didn’t work as hard as me

1954: I love this photo of Mum (far left), me and my sister Beverley (in the back of the car) as we set off for a day at the seaside with a picnic. My parents didn’t get on and should never have married – they weren’t right for each other. My mother’s father, an Army colonel, really disapproved of the match. Poor Mum died in her 40s when I was 24 so never saw my success

1969: This shot was taken when I put on my first-ever fashion show in New York – I can date it going by my white Biba boots. My peasant-style dress was tie-dyed and my belt was made out of some old carpet, but my hair was still dark at this point. In my teens I’d wanted to become an illustrator, but while at college I had a teacher who was so inspirational to me that I fell in love with textiles and ended up as a fashion designer instead. I owe my creative side to my mother

1997: Just two months before the Princess of Wales died we were sharing a laugh together at the opening party of a Christie’s sale in New York. She was auctioning off 79 dresses, including some I’d made for her, for charity. I loved dressing her, she had a lovely figure. She’d come to my grotty London studio – where I also dressed Freddie Mercury – to talk about designs and then I’d go to Kensington Palace to fit her. It was quite formal, but she was always very nice and this photo is very special to me

1998: A number of designers were asked to make ornaments for the Queen’s Christmas tree as a fundraiser for children with cerebral palsy. I’ve always loved dolls so I made a fairy with a pink ballgown and ten petticoats. I was also working on my London Fashion Week collection and had all the windows of Liberty to fill, so I ended up cutting out the fairy’s wings at 5am. The Queen seemed to like it though, as you can see, and the Queen Mother said, ‘Oh, very nice’

2013: My long-term partner Salah Hassanein, who I’m with here, died last summer aged 98. He’d started as an usher in a movie theatre and worked his way up to be president of Warner Bros’ international cinema division. I met him in New York, then he gave me a call when he was in London, we had dinner, and that was it. For the next 25 years I divided my time between London and our house in San Diego. Salah might have been 19 years older than me but losing him was still a tremendous shock

2015: I was so proud to be made a Dame Commander of the British Empire for services to British fashion – it’s such an honour and shows your country recognises your achievements. I wore a wonderful little baby hat with a rhinestone egg on top to go to Buckingham Palace to receive my medal, which I’m holding here. The lady sitting next to Beverley during the ceremony said, ‘Would you wear something like that?’ My sister replied, ‘No, I wouldn’t, but that lady is my sister!’

2019: Competing on Celebrity MasterChef last year was jolly hard work – here I am with fellow contestants Neil Ruddock, Joey Essex, Oti Mabuse and Andy Grant. They throw things at you and you have to think on your feet – it’s like doing a school exam. I made a bread and butter pudding for one assignment, and cold melon soup for another. ‘Cold soup?’ sniffed the judges. ‘Ugh!’ But I regularly cook for friends, like Lulu, and they always enjoy my food. I didn’t make it to the semi-final, but I think I deserved to go further