I’ve just watched your recent fast fashion documentary Fashion’s Dirty Secrets and found it shocking how the demand for clothes is destroying parts of the planet…

It’s very relatable. Child soldiers in the DRC and women in Iraq feel very removed from our lives, but we all shop so we are all part of this. The story of the Aral Sea [in Central Asia] was mind- blowing; the idea that an entire body of water all but disappeared because of our insatiable appetite for cotton. I was assuming people were going to say, “We don’t want to be preached to by do-gooders,” but people were hungry for information. Everyone knows that plastic is trashing the planet, we’re told it every day and rightly so, but I don’t think we knew that story.

How do we ensure this doesn’t become a wealth issue? Buying sustainably  is a great idea in theory but a lot of people can only afford to shop in Primark.

I totally understand that; it was my initial concern. Now I work in telly it’s easy for me to say, “Let’s pay a bit more and shop a bit more ethically.” My mother works in TK Maxx, she’s not a wealthy woman, when she used to buy school uniforms she’d have to buy Airtexes for three quid. So it’s never about wagging the finger and saying ‘do this, don’t do that’, it’s about our mindset and how we look at clothes. I’m not saying buy expensive clothes, just buy clothes you love and will wear time and time again, and look after them. Buy what you need, wear it to death and then replace it with what you can. I would never want to turn into one of those people working in telly who’s got a bit more money and so tells people to spend what they can’t afford.

You said earlier this world you’re in is different from  the one you grew up in. Did you travel much when you were younger? 

[Laughs] Benidorm, Tenerife,  and Haven, the caravan park. I’ve never been particularly academic, I’ve never really loved learning in the traditional way, but travel opens your eyes and shapes you in a way nothing else does. You understand things from a different perspective. You realise it’s a luxury to be in a position where you have Western privilege.

This issue is dedicated to cosiness. Describe your ultimate cosy set-up… 

Winter is 100% my favourite time of year, I’m not a summer baby. All my girls love the summer, they get really down in the winter. But I love it so much: the style, the ambience, the fire, hot drinks. I love being in our little flat in Brighton – I’m away 8-9 months of the year. I love being on the sofa with Bernie [her English bulldog] and Sam [her boyfriend], with a throw and candles everywhere.

What sort of candles?

Obviously overpriced candles! I love Byredo, Le Labo, all of those.

Stacey Dooley gets real about self-care, sustainable shopping and Strictly Come Dancing