The first time I came to Shumi was with this guy who brought me here to declare his undying love for me. It is lovely here at night, because you are high up and you can see the city all lit up. Sadly, the undying love sort of died but I still love the place and the food is far too good to be put off coming back because of some boy. I love Italian food and here it is very, very good. It's private - you have to go up an escalator to get in - which means I don't get hassled, and it's so nice to be in a restaurant without people saying, 'Ooh it's Rebecca Loos, look what she's eating'. I don't mind people asking for autographs - it's lovely if someone is your fan, and they like you, and they want to kiss you and hug you - but when you're out on a date or with friends you just want to pretend you're a normal person.

I like being in London even though I am always busy when I'm here. But I'd much rather be busy than sitting in Madrid doing nothing. Madrid is my sanctuary; my family are there, and many of my friends too. I do get a lot of negative attention there though. People feel differently about me in the UK and Holland.

I am actually Dutch and I lived in Holland until I was 11. I go back about once a month because I have lots of friends there and I still do quite a lot of interviews for Dutch TV - I used to be a TV presenter, so I'm a different kind of celebrity there. Everyone watches my shows and they love me and they want pictures taken with me. I definitely don't get treated like that here or in Spain. You have to remember that Real Madrid is the biggest team out there so some fanatical supporters were blaming me for how badly the team were performing. Spain is a bit backward and intolerant, especially compared to Holland where it's fine to be bisexual and to speak about relationships and things openly. Here I just get the odd mention in Heat, but the rest of it has died down. If people want to watch you, or talk about you, well, it's all part of the game, isn't it? I'm about to start promoting jewellery here for an Italian firm and I've done some presenting on Channel Five, so I think people's focus will continue to shift even more.

I'm a vegetarian (although I eat fish) and that's only because I am an animal lover. I can only eat fish because I don't feel that you make a bond with a little prawn in the sea in the same way that you do a little lamb on a farm.

I love Spanish food. Madrid has some very good restaurants and tapas bars. I learnt a few tricks in Spain too, like that it's very good for you to put olive oil, not butter, on your toast in the morning, or to rub half a tomato and some garlic on toast. I'm very big on fruit and I practically live off gazpacho - I eat it with ice cubes in because Madrid is just so hot.

I don't have to worry about my weight. You have to know your own body and know what to eat and I guess I am just lucky. I'm the kind of girl who can eat steak and chips (or I did before I became vegetarian) and the next day I'll have a flat stomach, but I can't eat dairy products in the evening because I end up bloated in the morning. I could never stick to a diet - I'm crap at things like that. But at Shumi there are so many lovely things to eat that I don't have to worry about my conscience or my waistline.

Shumi, 23 St James's Street, London. SW1A 1HA. 020 7747 9380. www.shumi-london.com

History

Shumi opened in 2003 and is housed in a former bank. Celebrity diners include Ronan Keating, Natalie Portman, Rachel Stevens, Robert Downey Jr, Michael Stipe,the Duchess of York, Sean Connery, Victoria Beckham, Liam Gallagher, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Simon Cowell, Ashley Cole, James Hewitt, and, of course, Roger Moore (his son Geoffrey is one of the owners).

On the menu

The menu is strong on carpaccios (such as beef, swordfish or halibut) and tartares (like veal or zucchini). Antipasti include saffron tiger prawns or truffled burrata. For main course try fettucini with rabbit and artichoke or rock lobster with barolo butter. Bellinis are a must - classic, cherry and rose or honey and ginger.

Open

12pm-3pm and 5.30pm-11pm Mon-Sat, 12pm-4pm Sun. Booking is advisable.