Jim Cathcart meets Cherie Blair as she visits Guernsey

Cherie Blair described her life as a balance between family and business

Best known as the wife of England's former Prime Minister, Cherie Blair is also a well respected barrister, QC and Judge under the name Cherie Booth.

In 2010 she visited Guernsey for the 20th anniversary of the Guernsey International Legal Association.

Though she was not always sure she would find the law interesting she said: "As a lawyer... you can help change the world."

Whilst in Guernsey Mrs Blair was also signing copies of her autobiography.

A woman in the law

Cherie Blair said that when she first looked into the profession she "wasn't sure if I would find it attractive", however, she said, "I was good at debating".

As well as this interest in the law Mrs Blair said she had also always been interested in politics which led to her standing for Parliament in Kent in 1983, though she was unsuccessful.

Even though it was her husband that was to become the full time politician Mrs Blair said: "When Tony and I first met if someone had asked who was the more political they'd probably have said me."

Life at Number 10

In 1997 Tony Blair became Prime Minister and the family moved to Downing Street and were suddenly much more in the public eye than they had been before.

Looking back at that time Mrs Blair said: "I didn't think it would change my life, but that was probably naive of me at the time."

She said that life during that time was "a balancing act" much like that of most women today as she balanced her career, her position as wife of the Prime Minister and her role as a mother.

Despite this she explained: "Tony and I have as normal a marriage as anyone else and of course husbands and wives talk about all sorts of things, but he didn't share state secrets with me, that's for sure!"

Life after Downing Street

As Tony Blair stepped down from his role as Prime Minister in 2007 the family moved away from Downing Street where they had live during his premiership.

Of the move Mrs Blair said: "What's been nice about coming out of Number 10 has been having a home of my own and you can take decisions like what colour the carpet is."

Though she added: "I miss the people at Number 10... they became like part of our extended family."

Despite what Mrs Blair described as "10 incredible years" at Downing Street she said that her work in the law continued throughout all of it and that "its the part of my life that belongs most to me, something I made that doesn't arise out of being married to Tony Blair" and something that is continuing now.