How much did you earn last year?

A good six figures. I did a mixture of things, like radio and TV work, and also got money from repeats of Gavin & Stacey. We also have money from our property portfolio.

How much was in your first pay packet?

I worked at BHS when I was about 16. I was quite bored because nothing much happened all day. I remember walking round and throwing jumpers on to the floor, so I had something to do. I don’t remember how much I was paid.

The first pay packet I do remember is when I started at the Royal National Theatre in London. I was 21 and I got £250 a week, which was typical at the time for actors starting out at the National.

I was so excited about getting the money that I spent almost all of it on clothes for the first few months.

Have you ever been really hard up?

In 2003, when James and I got married, we sold our properties — I was in Wandsworth and he was in Dulwich — and found a four-bed Victorian terrace in east Dulwich for £450,000.

We put all our money into it — that’s about £250,000 from the sale of our flats including most of the savings we had.

It was a good year. I had work from the BBC and James was doing loads of voice-overs.

After we moved in, however, my TV shows, Mine All Mine and Making Waves, both on ITV, were axed. James’ voice-overs also dried up. Luckily, things picked up again. There was a moment, though, when we thought we’d have to sell the house.

Do you own a property?