Joanna Page

“I love Poirot and Miss Marple.”

“I certainly don't think a Welsh accent would be suited to Shakespeare.”

“I never panic about typecasting. Even if it asks for 'a bubbly blonde Welsh girl,' if I like the script I'll go and meet for it.”

“I wanted to be an instinctive parent, rather than one driven by 'shoulds.' When I was pregnant, I read all the books, including Gina Ford's, which just seemed so regimented and structured. It sounded ridiculous and I knew there was no way I could do that.”

“It's mad because you think cancer happens to someone else - not your family. But of course it does, and when it does it hits so hard and all your family and friends have to deal with it.”

“For so long I looked so young for my age that it's been quite frustrating because in my thirties I was still playing 17-year-olds.”

“It's a good idea to carry your toothbrush in your hand luggage just in case your suitcase goes missing. You don't want to have smelly breath throughout your holiday.”

“I'm naturally blonde.”

“I don't want to try to be a film star and move to L.A. I'd be quite happy just to keep on working.”

“I've always wanted to be in 'Doctor Who' and now to be in it and playing Queen Elizabeth I is absolutely fantastic, so exciting.”

“It's brutal doing TV and film castings but at least your agents phone and tell you the bad news. If you're doing West End auditions they just tell you there and then in front of everyone.”

“If you're doing a job that you love, why would you give it up?”

“It's fantastic how people have managed to adapt, to keep on helping people during the coronavirus, and we need to highlight it and celebrate it.”

“Thing is, when you're a mother, you're juggling everything, and everybody and making sure that everything's alright and getting food on the table.”

“I'm good at talking to people, and people do seem to tell me things.”

“I've been told that I'm too ugly.”

“I used to get nervous about my acting being good enough. But now I am very much like, 'Stop panicking and just do it,' and I think that's what children have done for me.”

“I always stuff my face at mealtimes.”

“There is too much pressure to get back in shape after having a baby.”

“When I was doing my A-levels, I'd spend Friday nights in Mumbles, a village by the beach that's popular with surfers.”