Research has revealed that, if you're born under Sagittarius, you've got an exceptionally high chance of becoming a child star. Taureans, by comparison, are most unlikely to find early fame. That's much as an astrologer would expect, but if you're a regular horoscope reader, you may find these results surprising. "What about Leo?" you may ask. "Isn't this supposed to be the sign that's hungriest for applause and attention?" Ah, but Leos are such natural little stars, they hardly need a stage to shine on. We are all born blessed with talents and inclinations that can shape our personalities in later life. Read on to find out what gifts the heavens bestowed upon you at birth... and why, no matter what sign - or how old - you are, it's never too late to fulfil your potential.

ARIES
To be born under the sign of the Ram is to have no fear of locking horns with anyone! It makes you assertive, ambitious and energetic. It also makes you argumentative. And please, don't say 'No it doesn't!' Aries-born people can, of course, be charming and gentle too. The wise ones soon learn to pick their fights carefully. But none can resist a chance to boldly go where none have gone before, and if this means they have to split a few infinitives along the way, they won't backtrack. Think, for example, of Chris Evans and the cavalier attitude he has taken to his own career. A refusal to be risk-averse has paid great dividends. Even now, he's not afraid to step into shoes that many say can never be filled. If you're an Aries and you're not quite like this, there's still a lesson here. While you have great potential to become a military leader, a pioneering politician or a successful entrepreneur, what you're really best at is being yourself!

TAURUS
Researchers have concluded that children born under Taurus are least likely to gain fame in early life. That fits. If you know you've got stamina and staying power, why would you swap a lifetime of stable success for a temporary triumph? Taureans want results not responses and they're willing to work long, hard, unsung hours to get these. Nor can they see the point in doing anything without a practical purpose. That's why they make good cooks, craftspeople, bakers, business folk and bankers. Well, when I say bankers, I mean the kind we used to have. A bonus, to a Taurean, is a reward that must be re-invested. If you're a Taurean, you'll love art, sculpture, gardening and anything you can help to shape with the sheer force of your patient determination. Even if you set off early in life for success, you're more far likely, like Jessica Watson, to sail singlehanded round the world at just 16 than to seek the stormy sea of celebrity.

GEMINI
If you're born under the sign of the twins, you're not obliged to develop a split personality but you will always see two sides to every story. That gives you a natural edge in research, commerce and communication. In the unlikely event that you ever run out of people to debate things with, you can play the game of "devil's advocate" all by yourself. You can argue any case from any angle and while not all barristers are born under your sign, many Geminis love to feel sure they know the law, even if they work in their other favourite fields like sales, education and journalism. A competitive urge often takes Geminis into the sporting arena where they can demonstrate their endless will to win. Kylie Minogue has shown us all her fighting spirit and she demonstrates, too, Gemini versatility in the way she began life as an actress and turned into a pop star. Though not all Geminis are quite so glamorous, all can turn on the sex appeal with unnerving ease when they feel so inspired.

CANCER
Cancerians are ruled by the Moon. They go through so many moods and phases that it's hard to pigeonhole them. What comes naturally to a Cancerian when the mood is right, may prove elusive a short while later. That's why, when a Cancerian says 'I don't feel like doing this right now' they should always be listened to and waited for. If you were born under this sign, you'll know how sensitive you are to 'timing'. You are also sensitive to the needs of others. Just as the Moon reflects sunlight, you reflect attitudes and expectations. You're supposed to make a good nurse, cook or carer. It's not that you can't do anything else, it's just that you've always got access to your kindness and your desire to support. It's also why you should be wary of glitzy, superficial situations. Lyndsey Lohan is a classic example of a Cancerian who got so good at pretending to be what everyone else wanted her to be, she forgot how to be herself.

LEO
What can a Leo do with their life? Anything they want to! If you're born under this sign, you've got a head full of application and dedication plus a heart full of loyalty and generosity. You like making people happy. That's why you get so cross when you encounter folk who revel in making people angry, grumpy or sad. You should be a campaigner for justice or a fighter for freedom. There aren't though, many jobs like this in the classifieds! But you'll take on any role and as long as it allows you to express that side of yourself. Indeed, your ability to play almost any part is almost magical. Which brings us neatly round to Harry Potter. He's a Leo, as is JK Rowling, who gave her character her own birthday. Like them, all Leos should know that nothing will ever hold them back while they're brave enough to face fears that others hardly dare to name.

VIRGO
Virgos were placed on this earth to put right whatever everyone else has got wrong... in such a subtle, sensitive way that nobody even notices. If you're a Virgo, you will know all about this compulsion to compensate. It's what drives you, simultaneously to success and to distraction. No wonder you're not bothered by all that nonsense about how your sign is supposed to be about tidiness, detail and order. You've been misunderstood your whole life long. Fortunately, naturally, you quite understand why others don't understand. It's just another item on that great long list of misunderstandings that you feel obliged to make allowance for. That sense of obligation affects you greatly but as it also makes you truly brilliant in whatever field you gravitate towards, we must see it as yet another mixed blessing. Michael Jackson had the Virgo genius too. But he also had other influences on his chart and childhood, which you can consider yourself blessed to have missed out on.

LIBRA
Art, music, beauty and quality control. These are the areas that Librans are supposed to excel in. And they do. You've also, though, got an impressive ability to ask questions that can't be answered in all areas. Others say 'that's the way it is.' You say 'why can't it be some other way?' It makes you difficult to work with, at times, yet it also makes you a most rewarding kind of colleague. You amble through life's options and alternatives, collecting ideas and strategies which turn out to be of immense value. And if, at times, you're assertive about the need to implement these, it's only ever because you're right. As blessed as you are with insight, you are equally gifted with charm. You know how to make folk feel better about themselves, even when you're pointing out flaws that ought to concern them. Simon Cowell was born under your sign. Who but someone born under the sign of the balance, could combine that role of critic and mentor?

SCORPIO
Scorpios can't really see round corners. They don't actually have X-ray eyes. Yet they know, somehow, what others are thinking, even when they think they aren't thinking it. Is it a form of telepathy? Is it the result of an agile intellect? Whatever it is, it makes them so strong and so incisive that nothing can defeat them. Other, perhaps, than their own propensity to become overly sensitive. In the research that demonstrated how some signs are more likely to end up finding early stardom, Scorpios didn't come top of the list. But then if you're a Scorpio, you'll know it's only in later life that you really began to find the confidence to work constructively and consistently. You can be blunt, direct and decisive. Yet when you delicately balance that with a degree of self restraint. You bring out the best in situations and in yourself. You'd make a natural hypnotist, healer, therapist, writer, researcher, journalist or, as in the case of your fellow Scorpio, David Dimbleby, interviewer.

SAGITTARIUS
Why are Sagittarians more likely to end up child stars than people born under any other sign? Because from the moment they are born, they exude natural exuberance. They can't repress it and they won't restrain it! Yet it's so honest, natural and hopeful that it melts even the most cynical hearts. Sagittarians of any age have a kind of selective deafness. There are some words they just can't hear. Like, for example, the word 'impossible'. If it registers at all, it acts as an invitation. As you'll know, if you are a Sagittarian, the impossible is not always as impossible as most folk think. And if you only ever rise successfully to such a challenge once, you can then feel justified in taking on more such tasks; for better or for worse. While you're naturally inclined towards law, publishing, event management or exploration, impossible things have a way of working out well for you. Noel Coward was a child star who grew up to be a creative genius. He's just one more example of what can be done, as long as you don't start to believe that it can't!

CAPRICORN
Organisers. Managers. Chairpeople. Treasurers. Judges and Head teachers. Responsible, reliable people who will always put duty before levity and demonstrate true common sense. That's what we're told Capricorns are supposed to turn into when they grow up. Some, it's true, manifest such qualities right from early childhood. Capricorns somehow have old heads on young shoulders, even when they're still in nappies. Yet as they grow older, they mature like fine wines, becoming all the wiser and the more benign. Or at least, they do if they don't take themselves and their burdens too seriously. It's for this reason that, if you're a Capricorn, I'm loathe to recommend an entry into any of the professions above, assuming you're not already engaged in one. You need steering away from such a straight-laced life towards more fun and adventure. Still, it's never too late to emerge from a frumpy facade and start glowing with glamour. Just look at Carole Vorderman!

AQUARIUS
Aquarians, according to some astrologers, are supposed to be sociologists. They should study the behaviour of people, as individuals and groups... and apply their observations to the benefit of humankind. Others insist Aquarians were born to be team leaders. They say they have motivational skills that are exceptional and impressive. It may all be true but, if you're an Aquarian, you'll know that what you really want to do with is something that nobody else would ever think of doing, preferably in a field that has never been previously ploughed. You're quirky and unconventional. Yet you fully understand how to make folk think that what you're up to is perfectly normal, just as you love making the difficult look easy. And for you, more or less, it IS. Jools Holland, who formed his first successful pop group at a very tender age and is still breaking new ground to this day, makes a fine example of your affability and eccentricity at its best.

PISCES
A healer? A poet? A painter? A diver? A gaoler? A Chiropodist? These are just some of the many career options you can choose from, if you are a Piscean who consults the traditional astrological guidebooks. Yet people born under this sign shouldn't feel obliged to narrow down their options. It doesn't suit them. Pisceans are versatile and those who don't allow themselves the freedom to chop and change risk fulfilling their escapist urges in their leisure time, with all kinds of controversial results. If you were born under this sign, you should know that it's far more appropriate to live your dream. Maybe you'll help make the world a better place for others in the process. Or at least, you'll think that this is what you are doing... and that will help you. Never believe that Pisceans are impractical. They may be many other things and they may, too, be hard to understand at times... but Einstein was a Pisces... and the current Prime Minister of Britain is too. I rest my case.