Swide: What projects are you currently working on Gemma? 

Gemma: Currently I'm working on a play called "The Master Builder" by Ibsen. We're about midway through the run and it’s playing at the Almeida Theatre in Islington, London.

Swide: You've worn Dolce and Gabbana to many premieres and events, what dress holds the most memories for you? 

Gemma: My favourite Dolce and Gabbana dress was a full length gold gown that I wore to a special tribute to Ian Flemming. I really felt like a Bond Girl, which was totally appropriate for the event! 

Swide: Do any parts of Italy hold particular personal resonance for you?

Gemma: My husband [Stefano Catelli, a sales manager, whom Gemma married at a private ceremony in Andalucia, Spain this June] is from Lake Como, so I have lots of friends and family who live there and we go there often. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth. 

Swide: What's your favourite Italian meal, date and perfect location? 

Gemma: My favourite Italian meal would be anything with truffle! I recently visited Positano with my husband and we had the most incredible food. Everything was so flavourful and fresh. I would eat that food, there, with my husband, every single day! 

Gemma Artenton dressed in Dolce&Gabbana 

Swide: With an Italian husband, are you now fluent in the language? What’s your favourite colloquial phrase? 

Gemma: I wish I was fluent! I'm having lessons, so hopefully fluency is not too far away! My favourite phrase is, "Amore della mia vita, luce dei miei occhi, gioia mia infinita...topolino!" [" Love of my life, light of my eyes, joy my infinite one… topolino! "] My husband taught me to say it to him!

Swide: How would you define Italian style? What makes it different from British style in your opinion?

Gemma: Italian style is much more about quality and cut, I think. British style is much more eclectic, eccentric and often governed by trend and music; whereas Italian style is much more timeless.

Interview by Karen Phillips.