Michelle Ryan

“I love doing action; I love doing martial arts. There's almost something balletic about it.”

“All that celebrity stuff isn't me. It's just not acting.”

“When I was ten, I saw 'Grease' on stage and thought: 'I want to be part of that; it looks like so much fun.' My mum enrolled me in a local theatre group, and it all went from there.”

“I think it's so important as an actor that you hang on to your own inner compass, because so many people want to guide you - 'This is what you should you be doing'. But I want to do different things.”

“When I left EastEnders, I could have earned an absolute fortune from sexy calendars, shoots for lads' mags, fitness videos and reality shows. But I always turned them down.”

“I toned down my accent at school; otherwise, people would pick on me.”

“Money doesn't drive me.”

“If I am not working, I won't wear makeup and I will wear flats.”

“The whole dream of having your own place is great, but the reality is having to cook and clean yourself and do the washing and make sure there's milk in the fridge. But you have to grow up some time.”