Fashion designer Sarah Burton has spoken of her reluctance to take over ­Alexander McQueen's role.

In May 2010 she was named creative director of the fashion house founded by McQueen, who killed himself earlier that year.

But Burton, who created the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress, said she was not sure she wanted the job.

Burton said: "Sometimes he would call me at 3am just to talk, and we had this relationship where ... I would do anything for him. When he died I did not want the job but everybody was going to leave and I thought: 'Well, what else are you going to do?'. It has taken me a while to stop being afraid and see that the company needs me at my best.

"The hardest thing is that I never really understood the pressure he (McQueen) was under.

"He could deal with all the difficult characters just by telling them to shut up. But I am not like that. Only now am I beginning to accept the differences between us, and it is fine. He was a painter who worked in massive brush strokes and I am a person with tiny brush strokes."

The duchess' bridal gown captured the imagination of royal fans across the globe when she walked up the aisle of Westminster Abbey to exchange vows with Prince William in 2011. Burton said she "loved" the project and is determined to keep private the details of her relationship with the royals.