The temptation was too great for Yelena Isinbayeva. Just minutes after revealing how life had changed for her since she became famous, she quietly placed a chocolate biscuit into her mouth.
Surprisingly for an athlete, she is remarkably like a human being.
Isinbayeva is the Russian who broke the women's pole vault record at the 2004 Olympic Games on a memorable night in Athens. She has been breaking world records ever since and, in Birmingham today, will probably do so again.
Just as good authors can write bestsellers to order, so Isinbayeva can break world records to order. How convenient, then, that there bonus money available for whenever she does produce the goods.
Financial security apart, Isinbayeva knows that life will never be the same again. "Now I need people to look after me," she says. "I am famous now, I am recognised in different cities of the world, and people want to talk to me.
"When I go to Rome, people recognise me. In Paris, people recognise me. It is the same everywhere. I have learnt how to deal with it. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't, but I always deal with it.
"I am more confident now, more able to deal with the pressures of being the NoE1 in the world."
And more fluent in English. In the 18 months since Athens, Isinbayeva has turned from a shy Russian into a self-assured citizen of the world. She has the healthy glow that separates all successful athletes from the ordinary person in the street.
Contrary to reports, she has not received commercial offers from Roman Abramovic, the multibillionaire owner of Chelsea FC, but she is intrigued by such a suggestion.
"I would like to meet him, though," she says.
Well, who wouldn't?
When Isinbayeva competes at the Norwich Union Indoor Grand Prix today, she will be chasing an eighth world record. Typically, she is in good form. She opened her indoor season in brilliant style last Sunday when she raised her indoor mark by a centimetre to 4.91 metres at the Pole Vault Stars meeting in Donetsk.
"It was my first competition of the year, so I did feel some pressure," she says. "I haven't lost since last year, in Yokohama, when I registered a score of zero."
As if to emphasise the point, Isinbayeva twists the fingers of her right hand into what might pass for a zero. She is clearly not used to defeat.
Aged 23, tall and pretty, Isinbayeva has good reason to enjoy her visits to Birmingham. She posted a world record mark of 4.88m at the National Indoor Arena last year and, if she breaks the record again, will receive a bonus of $30,000.
"It's great to be back in Birmingham again," Isinbayeva says. "It's one of my favourite places to compete. I've already set two world records here and would love to make it a third on Saturday. I'm feeling great after my performance in Donetsk last weekend."
Isinbayeva posted an outdoor record of 4.89m in Birmingham in July 2004 - before her date with destiny in Athens - and followed that up with another record 12 months ago.
If she does set another record it would boost her bid to emulate the achievements of Sergiy Bubka, who set 35 pole vault indoor and outdoor world records.
It might take a while, given that Isinbayeva normally prefers to raise it a centimetre at a time, although she broke with tradition on her previous appearance on UK soil when she twice bettered her then six-day-old outdoor mark of 4.95m at the Norwich Union London Grand Prix.
Isinbayeva initially added the traditional centimetre and then to the delight of the Crystal Palace crowd, attempted and became the first woman to clear five metres.
Pavla Hamackova, of the Czech Republic, who won the bronze medal when Isinbayeva raised the world mark to its ultimate 5.01m at the World Championships last summer, will provide the toughest opposition.
But there is also the chance for Kate Dennison and Ellie Spain, who have made inroads into their personal bests this year, to continue their improvement.
Kenenisa Bekele will again attack Haile Gebrselassie's two-miles world record of eight minutes 04.69 seconds and is certain to make a stronger challenge on this occasion.
At the time of his attempt last February, Bekele was still trying to overcome distress following the death of his fiancee and finished runner-up to Markos Geneti.
This year, the Olympic and world 10,000m champion's preparations have been better with fast 1,500 metres and mile marks under his belt.
Tirunesh Dibaba will be chasing the women's 3,000m world mark held by Berhane Adere who ran 8mins 29.15secs four years ago and, given her current form, it could be on the cards.
