My Life in Ten Questions... Fay Ripley

Fay Ripley is an English actress. She found fame in the ITV drama Cold Feet before going to to star in Green-Eyed Monster, The Stretford Wives and Bon Voyage. She took a break from acting after the birth of her second child but returned to television in 2009, starring as human resources manager Christine Frances in the ITV comedy drama Monday Monday and as Nicola Perrin in BBC One's Reggie Perrin.

What would you normally be doing if you weren’t talking me?

Cooking, tidying, talking, worrying, answering emails on my phone, daydreaming of holidays I will never have, slapping on make-up, brushing someone or something’s hair or teeth and nagging. I'm a multi tasker.

Is there a phrase you use all the time?

In a minute baby...

Do you have any hidden talents?

Cooking - I’ve written a cookbook. Also DIY. I’ve just grouted the patio.

Describe the house you grew up in.

"Ashburnham" in Surrey suburbia. It was large, lonely and pebble dashed, with a huge garden, a conker tree, an orchard, a rusty trampoline, a great camp in the bushes, condensation on the window panes, Michael Bentine as a neighbour and a noisy gravel drive. It has been knocked down now and turned into a posh housing estate. Good riddance!

What did you want to be as a child?

Married to a millionaire, with a lover in the cupboard. There was also a nurse phase.

Name a song that changed your life.

Puppy Love. Donny Osmond taught me that it was possible to love someone other than your parents. I haven’t looked back.

What advice do you wish you’d received when you were younger?

Relish the age you are right now, it’s great and it’s never coming back.

What one thing would you save if your house was on fire?

My laptop, just for the photos.

What’s your greatest regret?

I have very few. I sold a great headboard and some curtains when I moved. I miss them.

If you could meet anyone from history who would it be and what would you ask them?

Santa. I'd ask him why was I the only kid who got walnuts, a clementine and a piece of coal in her stocking?

Ripley is an ambassador for The National Lottery Awards 2010, the annual search to find the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects. Visit lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards for details.