Academic achievement was something I'd always sought as a form of reward. Good grades pleased my parents, good grades pleased my teachers; you got them in order to sew up approval.

My mum's always had big aspirations because I'm an academic. I always got good grades at school. GCSEs were just a breeze for me.

My parents were supportive. I didn't have good grades, but they could tell I wasn't lazy.

We are all in the business of sales. Teachers sell students on learning, parents sell their children on making good grades and behaving, and traditional salesmen sell their products.

For me, acting was a reward. I had to get good grades in order to act, in order to be on TV. I had to do well in school so I could work. To me, it was like an after-school activity, something to look forward to.

I got good grades in math, but I never really enjoyed it. My favorite part of math was algebra, but geometry was the worst.