THE WAY I AM 'We live in a very confusing, complex world'

Actor Michelle Collins, 59, shares her passions and fears. She lives in north London with her partner Mike Davison, 38, and has a daughter, Maia, 25

- GEMMA CALVERT

What's your earliest memory of performing?

I went to a little infant school in Highbury (north London) and remember doing the nativity when a candle caught the hay alight. There was a mini fire so the next day we didn't go to school! I played the cello for seven years and once did a performance at my junior school. They'd just polished the wooden floors and my cello endpin slipped. My cello smashed over the floor in front of the whole school. I was mortified.

Did you ever have a plan B?

I went to a girls' grammar school and I was more of a creative. When I told the careers teacher I wanted to be an actress, she told me not to be silly and to do something like teaching or nursing to fall back on. I left school at 16 to do a drama course a at college, so I ignored what she said, which is what I did for the rest of my life, really. I ignored the advice most people gave me and did my own thing.

What is your biggest fear?