I admire the work of brilliant actresses such as Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren, who have had such varied careers. They have never stopped working, and they are as great today as they ever were.

I want to be able to follow the example of those extraordinary British actresses who move effortlessly from film to TV to theatre roles.

Actresses can get outrageously precious about the way they look. That's not what life's about. If you starve yourself to the point where your brain cells shrivel, you will never do good work. And if you're overly conscious of your arms flapping in the wind, how can you look the other actor in the eye to respond to them?

People who say, 'There's nothing to fear from spiders' have clearly never been to Australia.

I think Pilates is great, especially when you can do it with a trainer who keeps you on track.

An actress once advised me, 'Make sure you do your own laundry - it will keep you honest.'