I've looked after my husband for three years — it's tough, relentless. All carers feel like walking away at some point. But I'm proud of how we've coped and it's left us closer than ever.

PEOPLE who don't know me assume my life is glamorous. I live in the Dordogne in France after all, which the British associate with holiday villas and long wine-soaked lunches on pretty terraces. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]