From The Archers to Albert Square it seems Kellie Bright really has done it all.

After moving into the Queen Vic just over a year ago, her on-screen alter-ego Linda Carter has had millions gripped to their TV scenes following what many have branded the revival of the much-loved soap.

But for Kellie it seems she is just as happy on stage as on set.

She had her first taste of the bright lights at the tender age of eight years old after being cast as the young Cosette in the original West End production of Les Misérables and has starred in various plays ever since.

Now she hopes to inspire the next generation of actors after becoming patron of the youth theatre school in the New Forest, Act Now, which has been re-launched by her close friend and fellow actress Fiona Gronan.

Fresh from teaching a group of youngsters at the Forest Arts Centre in New Milton, Kellie has a sparkle in her piercing blue eyes.

“I love teaching,” she said.

“The biggest influence for me wanting to become an actor was the teacher I had as a child.

“The productions they do here will be unique. The plays will be written for them so every child will have their own part. The children love it because it’s theirs. They feel like they own it.

“That’s what I think is so magical and brilliant about it – Fi cares about every single person that comes through her school. That’s why I wanted to be a part of it.”

The 38-year-old has previously featured in ITV’s Bad Girls and BBC Radio 4’s The Archers, as well as the raunchy comedy Kinky Boots and the 1990s sitcom The Upper Hand.

But despite her success, the mother-of-one warns acting is a gruelling profession and not for the faint-hearted.

She said: “There were times in my twenties when I said ‘Why am I an actress?’. I didn’t know if I was doing it because it was what I had always done or because I loved it.

“It is a struggle. It’s a really hard profession. It doesn’t care if you’re brilliant. It doesn’t owe you anything.

“I would encourage people to go to a youth theatre or a drama school when they’re older but I can’t sit here and be hypocritical and say I didn’t love my childhood because I did.”

Reflecting on her career, the former pupil of London’s prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School said she’s grateful for the opportunities she’s been given over the years.

“I am lucky because I have done a lot of different things,” she said.

“I have worked with lots of different actors who have never done a play and a lot of people get stuck in theatre because they can’t get a job in TV but I have done all of it. I do feel lucky for that.”

Alongside her on-screen husband Mick, played by the gorgeous Danny Dyer, it’s fair to say Kellie has had her fair share of drama in Walford.

Her character has been the centre of a hard-hitting storyline in which she was raped by her husband’s brother and later discovered she was pregnant.

Kellie, who won the 2014 Digital Spy's readers award for best female actress following her arrival on the Square, said: “I have had lots of big stories and obviously being in the Vic keeps it very central to the whole programme. I feel very honoured and lucky to be there. I love my job and I love the people I work with. It’s been fantastic. They have given me lots of incredible storylines. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Speaking about the rape plot, she added: “It has been challenging but I think any actor relishes challenges.”

And for all those ladies wondering what it’s like to work alongside Mr Dyer, it seems he’s just as popular behind the scenes.

With a smile which says ‘I get this a lot’, she said: “What can I say?

“He’s lovely and we get on very well. He makes me laugh every day.”