As a young girl, I never felt attractive. I was fat and unhappy at times, and that kind of thinking stays with you your entire life. There's always going to be a part of me that worries about not looking as slim as other actresses. But at a certain point, when you achieve a lot of your goals and you can be proud of your work, you start to relax more about who you are. And that includes your appearance and self-image - I don't think I look too bad for a mother of two. But women shouldn't have to feel the pressure to compare themselves to actresses or models.

The audience's reactions are more important: if people believe in the love story, it's because they love how we've acted. That's the most beautiful award. It's very important for me, people appreciating what I do.

Ultimately, you just have one life. You never know unless you try. And you never get anywhere unless you ask.

Having been here before and lost to be here and win, I've got to tell you, winning is really a lot better than losing. Really a lot better.

Yeah, acting is very difficult. As much as I love it, and the challenge of it, I'm so often just terrified by it.

I think I look nicer now. It's really weird cause when you're 21 you think, "Oh God, when I'm 36, oh God, that's nearly 40, and I'll look really old and wrinkly by then". And actually I quite like the way I look. I feel OK about myself these days.

My skin still crawls if you call me a movie star. I get embarrassed. I think, don't be ridiculous. Maybe it's because I'm British. To me, Julia Roberts, that's a movie star. But when people do call me one, that, I think, is an enormous compliment but, my God, is that a responsibility!