GOING WILD FOR NATURE

Miranda Richardson on her passion for swimming in unexpected places, her menager at home and her dream acting roles

- SOPHIE HAMILTON

It's 10.30am and Miranda Richardson has just returned home from a refreshing swim at The Serpentine in London's Hyde Park - and she already feels as though she's had a full day.

"I'm sitting in my garden staring at my Koi fish surrounded by plants and all is good. It's a gorgeous morning," the award-winning actress says in this exclusive interview with HELLO! Miranda, who is best known for her roles in Blackadder, Empire of the Sun, The Crying Game and Sleepy Hollow, is training for a wild swimming challenge. Along with fellow actress Maggie Service, she will tackle a 3.5km swim on 9 August in Norfolk in aid of the World Wide Fund for Nature.

"I'm a member of the Serpentine Swimming Club and it's really quite convenient - other than having your own swimming pool - and it's much nicer because you've got the birds in the big sky and some really interesting people," she tells us.

"It's a lovely thing to be swimming 2ft from a grebe or a swan. They don't bother you and you don't bother them." Miranda, 67, adds: "This morning I requested a distance swim and [my trainer] John was absolutely thrilled with me, so I've got a lot of brownie points." She trains up to three times a week, mixing steady swims and speed bursts to build stamina.

She is glad to have Maggie with her for the challenge. "It's the two of us and we're supporting each other, doing this for a cause - it's not about getting there first," she says.