4 But whereas I could lose weight if I was so inclined, Alison Lapper can do nothing about her missing arms and legs as it was how she was born

5 . I picked a photo of her wearing a John Galliano gown as he is my favourite designer. I always think of him dancing to Get into the Groove by Madonna at Taboo when I worked at the club as cashier.'

6. Self-Portrait with thorn necklace and Hummingbird by Frida Kahlo (1940):
'I have always had an obsession with strange ailments so I lapped up the Frida Kahlo story, with her terrible tram accident and her back problems. Frida is proudly displaying her monobrow and moustache, which she seemed to embrace. This is the only picture I have chosen that w...

4 But whereas I could lose weight if I was so inclined, Alison Lapper can do nothing about her missing arms and legs as it was how she was born

5 . I picked a photo of her wearing a John Galliano gown as he is my favourite designer. I always think of him dancing to Get into the Groove by Madonna at Taboo when I worked at the club as cashier.'

6. Self-Portrait with thorn necklace and Hummingbird by Frida Kahlo (1940):
'I have always had an obsession with strange ailments so I lapped up the Frida Kahlo story, with her terrible tram accident and her back problems. Frida is proudly displaying her monobrow and moustache, which she seemed to embrace. This is the only picture I have chosen that was painted by a woman. I wish I could have thought of more, but it men’s paintings of women come to mind first.'

7 . Woman in a Butterfly Jersey by Lucian Freud (1990-91): 'I adore Lucian’s paintings of elderly people and Bindy Lambton looks marvellous with her blue veined hands clasped so primly together, showing her plain gold wedding band. I love the way that he has painted her jumper, which is so typical of jumpers worn by middle-aged ladies but she has brightened it up with a jaunty scarf. She looks a bit bored but I am sure that she enjoyed Lucian’s company as much as I did.'

8 . Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal (1992): 'The week when she was in the car crash was really most extraordinary and, although I wish that she hadn’t died, I do love drama and I doubt if I will live through such a strange week again in my lifetime. It was almost as if Diana was a saint, the way the country was mourning, and when I visited Kensington Palace the smell from the flowers and candles was overpowering.'

9. Legend by Pierre et Gilles (1995): 'It would be difficult to have a collection of iconic women and not include Madonna. As I am a huge fan of all things camp and kitsch, I chose a picture of her by Pierre et Gilles. Whether you love or hate her, it is impossible not to recognise that she is an incredibly driven woman who challenges herself all the time. She looks fantastic is this highly stylised and airbrushed photo, which somehow makes her seem softer than she does in real life.'

10. Sue Tilley by Jacques Bosser (2005): 'There was a great difference in this work and that of Lucian: it was an image that showed what I was like at the split second that the photo was taken, instead of ove...

9. Legend by Pierre et Gilles (1995): 'It would be difficult to have a collection of iconic women and not include Madonna. As I am a huge fan of all things camp and kitsch, I chose a picture of her by Pierre et Gilles. Whether you love or hate her, it is impossible not to recognise that she is an incredibly driven woman who challenges herself all the time. She looks fantastic is this highly stylised and airbrushed photo, which somehow makes her seem softer than she does in real life.'

10. Sue Tilley by Jacques Bosser (2005): 'There was a great difference in this work and that of Lucian: it was an image that showed what I was like at the split second that the photo was taken, instead of over nine months. This particular image is the one that I chose to have on my wall at home. I didn’t particularly want to stare at my face so I chose a back view that showed it was me only by my tattoos and my freckles.'

1 . Sue Tilley, who posed as the model for Benefits Supervisor Sleeping by Lucian Freud, above, has selected her favourite portraits of women

2 . Women by Henri Matisse (1939):
'I chose this particular painting as I like the fact that it had two women in it. I can imagine them gossiping away as Henri painted them. His depiction of their breasts is rather odd, but his eyesight was rather poor.'