Take a look at our interview with champion boxer Nicola Adams to find out Nicola's role model and what she likes to wear outside of the boxing ring. Find out more at: http://www.marksandspencer.com/tv Twelve seemingly very different women from diverse backgrounds and professions represent the very best of British, the perfect ambassadors to present our new M&S; autumn/winter collections. These women all possess intelligence, the confidence to succeed and innate personal style. From the physical strength and dedication of athletes and dancers, the honed skills of entertainers, the imagination of creative visionaries and the tireless campaigners, these women are pioneers in their fields. With that in mind, who better to photograph them than Annie Leibovitz, known for her era-defining work. Welcome to our new autumn/winter campaign. "You grew up in Leeds. What sort of role models did you have? At what point did you know you wanted to be a boxer? It was by accident that I started boxing. My mum used to do aerobics and she couldn't get a babysitter, one night she took us down to the after school boxing class and that was it, I absolutely loved it. And did your family encoursage you or were they a bit horrified that you wanted to pursue this dream of being a boxer? No they encouraged me. In the beginning there wasn't really many female boxers about, there wasn't really any funding. My mum and step dad had to take me twenty miles for training and back, take me away to competition and fund that as well, so to think that I've come a long way and finally made it to the Olympics and won a medal, it's like a dream come true really. What are people reactions to you? The most common reaction I get is that I'm too small and everybody expects a female boxer to be quite stocky and quite built and I'm quite small. A pocket rocket! Obviously you've got a particular set of clothes that you have to wear for work. What about the rest of the time, what are the sort of clothes that make you feel good? Skinny jeans and a vest top or T-shirt. Make-up? Yeah make-up, it's nice to be able to put that on every now and again! OK, there's a whole M&S; in front of you, which section would you go for? It's got to be the food, there's a lot of diversity - there's the healthy option, the not so healthy option, which I'm always tempted to go to. Who would be your female role model? To be honest, my mum's always been the person that's inspired me. She's always been really hard working and she's always instilled in me to always follow your dream and to study hard and work hard and you can achieve anything." Find out more about our Leading Ladies at: http://www.marksandspencer.com/Britain-E2-80-99s-Leading-Ladies-Preview-Womens/b/3147215031

• published: 02 Sep 2013
• views: 31