Helen Baxendale

“I feel I know Cape Town very well now having been there twice and for six weeks at a time.”

“I have no problem switching off.”

“What was great about 'Cold Feet' is that although it flew off down all different avenues, it was really based on believing the reality of the characters.”

“It was lovely going back to work; it felt like a break to be honest.”

“It's less frightening to do television, theatre is very nerve-wracking, very raw.”

“People latch on to characters who are rude or naughty or bad. Look at JR in 'Dallas' or Angie in 'EastEnders.' They're the best parts, the parts people want to be like.”

“Everybody looks after you when you're an actor, and you lose all sense of responsibility.”

“I obviously wasn't cool enough as a teenager.”

“I love the idea of seeing a character - I mean, there's nothing like seeing a character and having the huge detail and roundness that a character in a book can give you. It's so much more full than a character in a script can give you, isn't it?”

“I've had my taste of huge fame and it was OK, but I'm an actress, not a celebrity.”

“When I was growing up, we used to be like the Royle family, sitting around watching lots of TV and commenting on it. It was our focal point.”

“I've never had my feet done and never had my legs waxed.”

“I used to try to carry the weight of my character around with me, but I just can't do that now, it's too hard.”

“Energy is infectious.”

“It's not like I'm back for bath-time and bedtime for the children. You're back when they are asleep and you go out before they wake up. Really, that time when they are young goes all too quickly.”

“I don't have any regrets whatsoever because it has been my life. I've been very privileged, I'm lucky and I'm still alive.”

“I really don't feel much of a pull to go back to work. It's a difficult one because I don't want to end up with no career.”

“I really didn't want to stay in Los Angeles. I was working constantly and feeling so guilty that I wasn't at home.”

“You don't keep in contact with many of the people you work with because there are so many. Acting's just a transient job, very occasionally you'll meet people and really hit it off but generally you just know people to say hello to.”

“I don't like conflict.”