Quotes

I was 22 when I joined Blue Peter, the youngest presenter they'd had then. My audition was terrifying. I was a trained actress but instead of playing a part, I just had to be me, which I had no idea how to do. That was the greatest gift the show gave me: learning to feel comfortable in my own skin.

Presenting had never been part of my plan. I was in a BBC Sunday night drama called The Swish of the Curtain (1980) and was interviewed on Blue Peter (1958). Unbeknown to me, one of the hosts, Tina Heath, was leaving, so they asked me to audition. My agent said, 'Do not do this. You will get sucked into presenting and never act again.' So when I was offered the job, I panicked over whether to take it. My mum was working in the West End with Richard Briers, and he said: 'Darling, do it - it's regular work.' That's the best advice I've ever been given.