Growing up without my parents by my side is a weight I still carry today.

I think despite what we've seen on TV, people like seeing women and knowing about women's stories and their struggles and their truth. I think we've seen it in a lot of these shows - when there's a cast of all women, it does very well.

When I've been asked in the past about my dream role, I always expressed how much I'd like to be a superhero.

Once I started advancing in my career, I stopped wanting to hide from my reality.

Dying in the sanitary environment of a hospital is a relatively new concept. In the late 19th century, dying at a hospital was reserved for people who had nothing and no one. Given the choice, a person wanted to die at home in their bed, surrounded by friends and family.

My mother says that after I first visited the home of the man I later married, she knew it was serious when I told her, 'Mum, he has more books than me!' So, books are at the very heart of my life.

There's a strong working-class work ethic in my family, which makes us strong.

My family is just an amazing melting pot of wonderful religions and faiths.