'I thought I was COMPLETELY UNLOVABLE'

Daisy May Cooper on motherhood, her battle with alcohol addiction, and why she's started to like herself at last

Daisy May Cooper shot to fame with This Country, the BAFTA-winning, village-life mockumentary she co-wrote and co-starred in with her brother Charlie. Further success came with the hit comedy thriller Am I Being Unreasonable? and unconventional love story Rain Dogs.

Yet life hasn't always been so good for the actor and writer, who was also recently a team captain on the game show Password. Here, the 38-year-old mum opens up about her interest in the afterlife, her baby son's traumatic arrival, and her single-mum struggles.

Tell us about life as a mum of three...

My daughter Pip is so unlike me. She likes rules and regulations. She'll want to play teachers, and I'm forever a student. She's telling me how to live my life, and I'm like, 'You're six. You drink milk at break time.

How dare you? I pay my taxes!' Jack's more like me. He loves Playmobil.

I did The Masked Singer [as Otter] because Pip loved the show. She was furious. She said, 'Why would you go on that? You can't sing.' I said, 'I did it for you...' And a giant pay cheque.

Your other son, Benji, was born prematurely in June. What happened?

He was seven weeks early. I was getting painful contractions, then my waters broke.

Your other son, Benji, was born prematurely in June. What happened? I ended up having an emergency C-section and haemorrhaged. It was touch and go.

You lost a lot of blood?