Tamzin Outhwaite shocked by fame

Tamzin Outhwaite says she wasn't prepared for EastEnders catapulting her to fame.

The actress played Melanie in the BBC One soap from 1998 to 2002.

She said of her rise to stardom: "I don't think you're ever really prepared. I do remember when I was told I had the job, the executive producer, Matthew Robinson, said to me, 'Be prepared for your life to change' but I don't think I realised just how much it would change."

Tamzin, who is soon to have her second child with husband Tom Ellis, who played Dr Oliver in EastEnders, had appeared in The Bill and Men Behaving Badly before landing the soap role.

She said: "Because I was a jobbing actress before, and I was only doing a three-month contract, I never really saw the big picture and just thought, 'Oh, this is a nice job'.

"And then it turned into a three-and-half-year nice job! Also, I was 28 - if it had happened to me as a teenager, it would have been a different thing."

:: Tamzin Outhwaite is currently working with Sorelle, a new 0% alcohol wine-style drink, which only contains 24 calories per 100ml glass. Find Sorelle on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sorelledrink and on Twitter @Sorelledrink