You always give credit where credit is due - to high school coaches college coaches - but my dad the foundation that he built with me is where all of this came from. The speed the determination the mindset just the natural belief that you can do anything you put your mind to it all comes from my dad.

The founder of the Mona Foundation actually knew my dad for years and the more I learned about it the more I realized I really found the perfect charity. It sponsors schools and educational initiatives all over the planet.

When I moved out of London 13 years ago I found a whole other reason not to drive. This was because my new husband Dan unlike my dad did drive and this became a great source of fun and adventure.

My dad was dean of fine arts at the university. I was casting bronzes in the school foundry. I was using the university as a playground.

As my dad said you have an obligation to leave the world better than how you found it. And he also reminded us to be givers in this life and not takers.

Optimism is the foundation of courage.

Once I had all the facts in I found I didn't have the immoral courage to pull the caper. So I wrote it as a story. As a teenager I didn't have any skills for writing as such so it came out in 1500 words.

TV is so different from the movies. It takes a lot of stamina because you work such long hours. It is really challenging. You are learning the next day's lines while you are shooting today's scenes. I found courage I never realised I had. I hope to do more.

Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress.

The courage of a soldier is found to be the cheapest and most common quality of human nature.