Forgotten was presented to me by the drama department at LWT as a concept and I found it immediately intriguing and very powerful. I was completely led by the power of the piece and its dramatic potential.

I'd been gearing up to working in theatre since coming out of drama school, but it was an exciting time for TV drama - it was the birth of Channel 4, and Brookside was very cutting-edge at the time.

But I didn't really enjoy my secondary education that much, probably because I am a very physical person and don't enjoy sitting at a desk all day. I just dragged myself through GCSE and A Levels, so it suited me very much to go on to drama school, which was very active.

For me, hour-long drama was always the thing I felt the most comfortable doing, and I've played so many dramatic roles in the theater.

Drama school was a lifeline for me, it saved me. I found it very nurturing - I just clung on.

I think you know what you're up against when you take on a piece that you know is going to involve dragging up a lot emotions - you can end up being deeply immersed in gloom.