Both are in the limelight, but Miriam and Véronique Dalli are more than just good looking. They have brains as well. They answer the same questions but in different ways and talk to Marie Benoît about themselves and each other.

Miriam

• Who is your greatest hero of fiction?

I never liked heroes … give me the villains!

But if I had to think hard enough, then maybe Superman would be the nearest to what I would describe as the greatest hero of fiction up till this very day. I like best of all the Superman Sign imprinted on his chest, but otherwise I’m not a big fan of heroes of fiction.

• Who are your heroes in real life?

People who leave everything behind them to do missionary work in Third World countries.

I consider as heroes as well the medical staff at the Wonderland Ward in St Luke’s who work with children with cancer and their families. In the last three years I have had the opportunity to work closely with the people behind the Puttinu Cares Children Cancer Support Group. The medical staff who work with these children and all the volunteers who help out in this Support Group are truly unique. They have to face so much suffering and yet they manage to keep smiling, to transmit energy and to help these children and their families in these very difficult times. This is a support group I’m never tired of helping. I just wish that people would be more conscious of all the work that is being done. The medical staff working at Wonderland have not only a job but also a mission to fulfill. It’s enough to see the smile on children’s faces and their families to understand the excellent work that is being done.

• What are your favourite names?

I love biblical names. My favourite would definitely be: Jacob, Zachary, Benjamin and Luc for boys and Abigail for a girl.

• What do you dislike most about your appearance?

Nothing in particular. I try to make the best of my assets.

I’m no supermodel but on the whole I think I’m quite lucky.

• What is the quality you like most in a man?

Sincerity and straightforwardness.

And if he were my boyfriend then I would demand respect in particular. As a matter of fact I place respect above everything else.

• What is the quality you like most in a woman?

Same. Sincerity and straightforwardness. Since I do not differentiate between a man and a woman I look for the same qualities in both sexes.

• What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My family, my niece Maya and all the people that are important and close to me.

• Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Don’t really know … I can’t think of any that I use constantly.

• Are you afraid of aging?

Rather then afraid of aging I’m more afraid of solitude and of ending up alone. I love to have friends and people who I really trust and can confide in around me. So that’s what frightens me most: aging without anyone to turn to.

• When and where were you happiest?

I love summer and I’m at my happiest during the summer months. Summer of 2004, I recall, definitely one of the best and I was very happy then. I’m sure this summer I will be at my happiest as well!

• Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Though not yet a historical figure, with Pope John Paul II for being a rebel at heart, and for managing to arrive where he intended without breaking any rules that were imposed by the government of the country he lived in. Instead he managed to get round those rules and push the message through.

• Which living person do you most admire?

My parents … who after more than 30 years have a marriage that is still going strong. I just hope that if I get married, I, too, will have a long and happy marriage.

• If you could be granted one wish what would it be?

A guarantee that I would love and be loved and that I would ‘live happily ever after.’

Miriam on Véronique…

Véronique has a totally different character to mine. It was so evident even when we were kids. She was always a ‘happy go lucky’ kind of person and I’m the one who takes things more seriously. But recently I’ve noticed that there are some things which are making her really think and which she’s dead serious about. She’s four years younger then me, and hates it when people assume that she’s older.

I believe she’s extremely intelligent. When we were younger she was the one who never got down to studying seriously but always managed to get really good marks in exams. It was when she was reading Law that I saw her studying really hard and she managed extremely well I have to say, and she is now a fully fledged lawyer.

We’re not just sisters, we’re really good friends. We love girl talk, and after a day’s work it’s something I enjoy when we throw ourselves on her bed and start chatting about the events of the day: who we met, who left a good impression and who did not! With her I always manage to have a good laugh, no matter how bad things may look.

She’s the person I turn to for good advice, and I think I’m the one who she turns to for similar advice. We’re very strong allies and accomplices in everything, except when we raid each other’s wardrobes. Then it is fireworks but which are soon extinguished some minutes later…

Clothes are sometimes a point of contention but also a means of bringing us closer together. Veron is one of the few people I manage to enjoy shopping with, especially when it comes to clothes. We have different tastes but we know exactly what the other one loves. It’s fun to shop with her when we have a craving for a spending spree. Fun, ‘cause she’s exactly like me when it comes to trying on and purchasing clothes.

Come to think of it, we have different tastes when it comes to guys though. Physically we look for totally different things and character wise we like different qualities as well.

I’m the one who doesn’t mince words and she’s more diplomatic. She’s the one who thinks twice about things that affect her personally and I’m the one who encourages her to take the plunge. We balance out each other I guess.

Mum and Dad sometimes do get comments, that they should have had more kids, preferably girls. I tell them that they would have doubled their troubles had they had more girls.

Deep down I don’t know how that would have affected the bond which Véronique and myself have, probably it wouldn’t have been as strong as it is right now.

Véronique

• Who is your greatest hero of fiction?

Undoubtedly Batman, especially if interpreted by Val Kilmer. I recall when I was fifteen, watching Batman Forever at the cinema and becoming completely mesmerised. Pity that the shots featuring Mr Kilmer ended too soon!

• Who are your heroes in real life?

Those who manage to deal with and sort out the mishaps which life has a habit of throwing at us time and time again. That is, without unnecessary drama and in the most sensible manner.

• What are your favourite names?

I must say I like the sound of Jérôme. As I have a French name I have developed a liking for French names. I also like traditional English names or short, ‘abrupt’ ones such as Jack.

• What do you dislike most about your appearance?

My bum! Unhappily, I’m not one of those girls who carry around a perfect little bum.

• What is the quality you like most in a man?

I like all rounders. But ambition and an inclination to rationality also gain points and are a determining factor in a relationship.

• What is the quality you like most in a woman?

Grace, determination and focus. For a woman to succeed she needs to have the nerve to keep going no matter what, even if her life is split in several roles.

• Who are your heroes in real life?

All those who manage to sort out, without unnecessary drama, and in the most sensible way, the mishaps which life throws at them time and again.

• What or who is the greatest love of your life?

A pleasant guy with dark hair and dark eyes by the name of Jeremy who claims it was love at first sight the second time we met, ten years after our first encounter! Funny how we crossed paths some ten years after we met casually at a discotheque. Being in love makes you do a few adjustments here and there and you enjoy every single bit of it too. I’m in love and loving it but especially so when Jer decides to show off his culinary expertise.

• Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Definitely, ‘Don’t take me there,’ ‘I disagree,’ ‘Plain Jane’... there are others.

• Are you afraid of aging?

Big time but I choose not to think about it and live in the present.

• When and where were you happiest?

In my childhood years when my parents were my world, when Miriam and me were partners in crime at home and never owed up to our mischief. Now, twenty years later my parents continue to make life easier and my sister has remained my all time ally.

• Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Someone who has made it through thick and thin, has resisted opposing currents and turned out to be a fighter, slightly argumentative by nature and never gave up on his/her ambitions whilst juggling with motherhood, work and studying…Maybe I’ll have to change my description in order to get a historical figure to fit into it!

• Which living person do you most admire?

Does it have to be just one? My award goes to those who succeed in their endeavours whilst keeping things in perspective and their heads tightly screwed to their necks.

• If you could be granted one wish what would it be?

A long journey around the globe. I want to show the world to my daughter Maya and had it been possible I would spend weeks in different places and exotic countries.

Véronique on Miriam

Being the first born in the Dalli family, Miriam developed a sense of protection towards her then terrible little sister who was always up to mischief. This monkey business included pulling out little mechanisms from ‘speaking’ dolls, scribbling on walls, attempts at inserting hair pins in power sockets or climbing the stairs by mounting the stair balustrades from the outside.

Miriam was the sensible one, the one who was always worrying about school and exams. I was quite nonchalant and carefree which used to worry my parents. Years passed and Miriam and Véronique become two little allies in a large house situated in a very small rural village. Then we were surviving our life-changing teenage years which can prove to be quite tough.

Being each other’s ally, we have seen each other through broken hearts, mended ones, achievements and disappointments. This has lead to an unspoken complicity in life and late night chatter about boyfriends, work, office politics, good taste and bad, careers and the occasional mishap.

Miriam has attended three graduation ceremonies and walked out with diplomas in three totally different subjects: Communications, Business Administration and European Studies. Funnily enough we had always chosen the same subjects at school including secondary level and Sixth Form. Things changed when we moved to the Msida Campus which has seen her becoming a journalist by profession and eventually moving to the helm of the Super One TV newsroom while I chose Law as a profession. That was after attending never ending lectures which were not quite as alluring as one had imagined on the first day at University.

However when Miriam Dalli, Head of One News and lawyer Véronique Dalli are at home after a long day, we return to our laid back attitude, sitting around mum’s table and picking on each other. It’s usually Miriam who gets the most argumentative. This tends to tone down on those occasions when her favourite food is served.

I grew up as “oht Miriam Dalli” something which I did not mind at all, except for the odd occasion when I am mistaken for her. Then, I explain straightaway that, please, I am four years younger. Most times I get raised eyebrows in return but I must say that I enjoy that moment of awkwardness when people try to find the right words to apologise for thinking me older.

Clothes can be a common factor and a source of rows. The usual question pops up every now and then ‘Have you seen my …?’ That is usually the opening line for a tiff which ends up in a silent protest for a few minutes.

Then there is the ‘Do you mind if I borrow this?’ line. But our squabbles don’t last for long, until the next item of clothing goes missing especially if it is in the morning before dashing out for work.

Saying aloud what’s on her mind, especially when it comes to opinion about people does not necessarily make Miriam liked by everyone. She makes her views very clear straight away even if she’s aware they won’t be accepted. However it’s a quality I share and cherish. People know exactly where they stand with us. As they say: ‘what you see is what you get.’