Helena Christensen's My London

Home is
New York, but Copenhagen will always be my little nest.

What's your earliest London memory?
When I was 15 I came to London with my family and a friend. We decided that we were going to ditch school and work in A&R at a record company. I remember one night we went to the Marquee Club on Wardour Street with a bunch of punks and covered ourselves in make-up. My mum found out about it and came after us.

What was the last play you saw in London?
Rain Man at the Apollo Theatre with Josh Hartnett.

What advice would you give a tourist coming to London?
Stay as long as you can to fit everything in.

What's the first thing you do when you come to London?
I buy a coffee from Monmouth Coffee Company in Covent Garden because usually I'm jet-lagged.

What's your favourite meal in London?
It used to be liver, bacon and potatoes at The Ivy but they don't serve it any more. I go for the Cumberland sausages now.

Do you have a recurring dream?
I'm in a big, old, empty, rambling house with no furniture and a giant wild animal, usually a prehistoric tiger, which chases me around endlessly.

How would you like the opening line of your obituary to read?
'All in all, this lady managed to have a pretty cool life.'

Have you ever had a run-in with a London policeman?
A bobby? No. I used to have my photo taken with them when I was younger.

What's your biggest extravagance?
International phonecalls on my mobile.

What do you most like wearing?
Long skirts and little woolly sweaters, preferably vintage.

What was the last song you downloaded?
'Adapt' by Wire - I listen to the opening track when I attempt to run.

What animal would you most like to be?
Some alien-like deep-sea creature or a blackbird . Swimming or flying seems like a good alternative to what humans can do.

What are you up to at the moment?
I'm working with Oxfam. We recently opened an exhibition in Valencia showing photos I took in Nepal and Peru documenting the lives of people affected by climate change. I'm now organising the next trips to Ethiopia and Haiti.

Where do you stay in London?
The Covent Garden Hotel. It's nice to return to a place where you feel comfortable and cosy.

Which London outlets do you rely on?
I go to Coco de Mer for lingerie and Shu Uemura for make-up. I visit the vintage stores around Covent Garden to buy men's clothing. When I buy trousers, they're usually men's but in a small size. Liberty is great when you have little time; I also love the history and architecture of the building. Neal's Yard Dairy is an amazing cheese shop and I like to buy my books in Magma, both in Covent Garden.

Who are your heroes?
Stephen Hawking, Van Gogh and Albert Einstein - they're my mind-blowing heroes. I want that kind of intelligence.

Where were the last three places you went on holiday?
I took my son and his best friend to Harbour Island in the Bahamas for Spring Break, it was balmy and glorious. Earlier this year I went to Australia with a girlfriend because we're both very attached to the country. I also went to Melbourne Fashion Week while I was there. Then I was in Valencia to help set up my photography exhibition.

If you could live in any building in London, which would it be?
The Clock Tower at the Houses of Parliament would be fun. I'd probably stop Big Ben chiming so much, though.

What's your favourite London discovery?
The Natural History Museum's collection of deep-sea creatures.

Triumph Essence underwear, modelled by Helena Christensen, is available now at John Lewis (johnlewis.com)