Quotes from Tamzin Outhwaite

My favourite view is just up the road from my house where, if you look one way, you can see Alexandra Palace, and if you turn the other, you get a panoramic view of the whole of London, including the Gherkin and Canary Wharf.

My dad came from quite a poor background, so we were made to understand the value of money from an early age, and because of that, I always wanted to be self-sufficient and earn my own money.

I had a Saturday job in Barratts shoe shop at the age of 15.

Chasing perfection can make you go mad.

I love going into junk shops, picking up something that looks like it's got a bit of history to it, then sanding it down and reviving it.

I don't want to take anything that's coming in for the sake of work. I want to choose carefully, as I have done since leaving 'EastEnders.'

Tips-wise, I'd say drink as much water as possible, and I always think if you can do half an hour of exercise every day or, at least, get your heart rate up for half an hour every day, even if it's a power walk, it's good.

I became a spokeswoman for Future Friendly - a partnership between sustainability experts and household brands trying to inspire people to save water, energy, and packaging.

Everyone talks about 40 like it's massive, but I looked at Joanna Lumley at the Ab Fab premiere the other day, and she looks amazing at 70 - that's 30 years older than 40, which sounds ridiculous. The number doesn't matter; it's what's going on for you.

I didn't enjoy being pregnant. You feel particularly ungraceful.

I'm not waiting for Mr Right. I'd be open to dating, but I'm happy not. I'm not on Tinder or anything.

I always thought if I wasn't an actor, I might make quite a good detective - mainly because I'm nosey.

I actually did an upholstery course a little while ago and have a brand-new sewing machine with my name on it, ready to start tearing apart the soft furnishings in my house.

We work in a business where you feel you always have to say yes because you never know when you will work again. But I found myself questioning that paranoia, which I'd grown up with ever since I started working in the theatre in my late teens.

I love being able to do a bit of theatre, do a bit of telly, and do a bit of film.

I was quite canny when I was doing 'EastEnders,' so the money went into property. I made sure that I didn't blow it all.

Emotions interest me, and I'm fascinated by how a child's mind works.

I never wanted to be famous and live my life in the glare of publicity.

I'm a big fan of Jamie Oliver, and I've got all of his books. His recipe for peas with white wine and bacon is one of my favourites.

I love any type of cheese, preferably on a large board with a glass of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

I did suffer from sciatica, which was one of the most painful things I've ever experienced. Lots of women love being pregnant and say they feel really womanly, but I felt really ungraceful and struggled a bit with that!

For me, if I can dance and not really realise I'm keeping fit, but I am then great, dance is a good one.

I went through a phase in my 20s when I was overdosing on self-help books, so it was really refreshing to read 'The Alchemist' because it was a novel, but it still had the same wisdom, wasn't patronising and didn't tell you how you should live your life.

I've been to three different islands in the Maldives, and the Caribbean was relaxing, although my holidays are always peppered with some sport, sightseeing, or diving.