'I worry less now I'm in my 50s!"

Actor Nicola Walker on her career, new challenges and learning to let go

- VICKI POWER

Nicola Walker has an uncanny knack of choosing hit TV shows to star in. Her CV is packed with zeitgeist-capturing series such as Spooks, Last Tango in Halifax, BBC1's divorce drama The Split and ITV's cold-case series Unforgotten.

Nicola is modest when asked about her outstanding track record. 'I have a great agent,' she says with a half-laugh. *You don't have much power as an actor most of the time; you're usually being told "no" about a role you went up for. For me, what's lovely is when you read a script and you think "I really get this" and "I would watch this".

'So to say yes to Spooks, to [writers] Sally Wainwright [Last Tango...], Chris Lang [Unforgotten], Abi Morgan [The Split], it's a no-brainer. Same for Nick Walker [no relation] and Annika. The only clever thing I've done is say "Yes, please, thank you very much" when they offer me the job!'

Nicola is one of the most down-to-earth lead actors you'll meet, and genuinely friendly. In between high-profile jobs she shuns the celebrity circuit, preferring a quiet life in the Home Counties with her husband, actor Barnaby Kay, and their 17-year-old son, Harry, taking long walks in the woods with their fox red Labrador, Dora.