I’m not intimidating, says fashion queen Wintour

American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, the inspiration for Meryl Streep's glacial character in The Devil Wears Prada and known among fellow journalists as 'Nuclear Wintour', has dismissed the idea that her staff find her intimidating.

In a rare video interview, Wintour told Forbes magazine: "I assure you all the people that work with me on a day-to-day basis don't think that." She said her fearsome reputation was "just something that's been fabricated by the media".

Wintour, 61, gave the interview after appearing at number 69 on the Forbes annual list of the 100 Most Powerful Women. (The list was led by Angela Merkel and included in the top ten Melinda Gates and Christine Lagarde.)
 
Anna Wintour is often described as the most powerful woman in fashion. She said she didn't think of herself as a powerful person, but admitted "power gets you a better seat in a restaurant or tickets to a screening". She also acknowledged that power affords "a wonderful opportunity to be able to help others, and for that I'm extremely grateful".
 
Wintour said she was proud of having women she admired on the cover of US Vogue including Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton. As for the everyday job of editing the monthly fashion bible, she said: "I just keep my head down, I try to do the job to the best of my ability." ·