Samantha Barks

“Life is all about balance. My work is very important to me, but so are my relationships. I make time for that aspect of my life, and it makes me happy having balance in my life.”

“I like to walk around Central Park and take in the vibe, have a picnic if the weather is good, and people-watch.”

“I just sing the songs that people don't expect you to sing, because I just love having fun at karaoke and I'm always a bit nervous to sing something serious.”

“I want to make smart choices.”

“It's important to make your social life and your friends and family - make that a priority.”

“I've always been a positive, optimistic person who loves life, and I've got a lot to be positive about.”

“I began with dance, doing ballet at 3, then tap, jazz, modern. Then I sang in church choirs, learned how to play clarinet and drums, sang with rock bands and only then did I get into musical theatre.”

“I never have celebrity crushes.”

“We all have an escape. Mine was theater.”

“I would love to have a varied career, like Hugh Jackman. He started in musical theater, then established himself in film, but he still does a lot of stage work. And he does it all beautifully.”

“I'm a vegetarian and have been since I was about four because I struggled to separate the idea of the animal from the food.”

“If I wasn't performing, I wasn't alive. That's the truth. My parents had absolutely no interest in the business, but they knew it made me happy, so they said 'Go for it, girl!'”

“I love singing some Johnny Cash, which is interesting because it's in a guy's key; I love singing Elvis Presley.”

“When I was a 7-year-old girl, in my bedroom, on my karaoke machine, I would sing 'On My Own' or do a one-woman version of 'Les Miserables.'”

“The day you stop learning and creating must be the most boring day.”

“I've found that musical theater is my passion.”

“I absolutely love my fans, and I get to chat to them a lot on Twitter, and that's why I think Twitter is really great. They call themselves 'The Sprouts' and they are really, really wonderful, so passionate, and they make me smile.”

“I'm always at my fittest when I'm doing a show - even when you're not on stage, you are running around backstage doing quick changes.”

“I've looked after my money. As I started working around my third birthday, my first check went straight to the bank.”

“I can't comprehend that I'm in the film of 'Les Miserables.' It's one of those dreams I thought would be unattainable for someone like me, who came from nowhere.”