For all her imposing glamour, iconic style and encyclopaedic knowledge of the fashion world, Sarah Jessica Parker is the most down-to-earth of girls.

As soon as I walk into our interview, she's graciously offering me a glass of water, asking after my journey and encouraging me to pull my chair closer to hers so we can chat intimately. It was as if she was welcoming an old friend back into her home.

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But along with her perfectly preened looks, she's also quirky, slightly awkward and immediately likeable. Perhaps the reason why she is so in demand.

With her brown hair swept back revealing sparkling blue grey eyes and skin as smooth as cream cheese, she looks in excellent shape. As does her career.

After all those goings-on as Carrie Bradshaw in the racy Sex And The City, Sarah's carving out a new career to prove her versatility as an actress.

And tackling the role of straight-laced Meredith in the new Christmas film The Family Stone was her chance to try out new characters, not just new shoes.

"The thing is, it was a really hard decision to end Sex And The City and the reason I ended it was I was very happy there and I would have stayed forever," she explains. "I was very comfortable, I was very satisfied creatively and I was obviously well-paid. Those were some of the very reason why I thought I should do something new and challenging.

"I really wanted to play Meredith because she's so different from anything I've done. She's so rigid and intractable and so unfamiliar with interpersonal relationships.

Still, she says it was hard to leave the comfortable support network that the Sex And The City offered. Her upbeat tone oscillates, and suddenly becomes wistful.

"A film set is like a brand new job. New people, new environments, new wardrobe people. You know the things you love and got accustomed to are gone."

So no more incredibly gorgeous designer freebies then? "On movies it's like the honour system, like the library. You take outfits out in good faith and return them, and then you get to borrow more."

While designers clamoured to have Sarah wear their clothes on the show, she says she is far less of an exhibitionist than her Manolo-loving alter-ego Carrie.

Unlike the poor, disheartened Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah has been happily married to actor Matthew Broderick for eight years. They have a two-year-old son James.

"I don't want to appear righteous about my marriage, it's just that ours has worked for us to this point. I believe in the idea of this marriage.

"Our lives outside this industry are really fulfilling. My husband has this extraordinary career which is very enviable. He feels very content and satisfied and I am too."

So what about before she settled down into marriage bliss? It's well known Sarah was romantically involved with Robert Downey Jr and singer Joshua Kadison in her single days.

"My life was very different when I was single. It wasn't nearly as colourful and it certainly wasn't as busy. I was in relationships for a long time."

Talk of relationships brings us back round to the film - her character Meredith is brought to her boyfriend's New England home to meet his bohemian parents for the first time. He plans to propose but the family immediately dislike her uptight, big city attitude. Overwhelmed by the outwardly hostile reception she gets, she calls on her sister, played by Claire Danes, for emotional support.

"No - at least, not to my face," she says with a giggle. "There may have been some awful things said behind my back and I may have earned that. But I didn't date a lot so I kept my odds pretty good by just not meeting very many parents."

Sarah, seems very un-Carrie - almost goody two shoes. I can't help but think her relationship with Broderick has endured because she has never prized her career over family - an attitude that seems old-fashioned among celebrity circles nowadays.

"I can't imagine a time in my life when I'd want to leave New York City. I don't like things to ever change and my whole family is in New York.

"Then we'll go to my parents house and cook and eat and open presents for hours and go home feeling stuffed and over-indulged and start counting down the days until next Christmas."

I heave a sigh. Here is a woman with a wonderful family, exciting career, fame and fortune and glamour to boot - her 'have it all' attitude is awe-inspiring.

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