'I FELT EXCITED turning 50'

Silent Witness heroine Emilia Fox opens her heart about finding new love, the power of therapy and why she's dreaming of a decorating sideline

- GEMMA CALVERT

On a bright autumn day in the company of Emilia Fox, chit-chat turns to Strictly Come Dancing. Like many, the Silent Witness actor and her teen daughter Rose were glued to the recent series.

'We love watching Strictly together and I'd like to know whether I could do it. I'd love the training, it's just going out in front of an audience. I'd be so frightened of letting people down,' says the star, who describes herself as an introvert whose profession repeatedly requires her to jump out of her comfort zone.

'I worry about doing a play, I have to go through the whole script 600 times a day and touch every piece of wood,' she adds. 'Being an actress is challenging but you're not being yourself, so you get to explore that feeling with a team of people you feel comfortable [around]. Would I feel confident in front of four people expertly judging my dancing? I take my hat off to anyone who does it.'

Today, our hats go off to Emilia. Surrounded by an unfamiliar team, she's blissfully at ease in front of the camera and creates a sensational set of pictures. 'Oh my goodness, I love them,' she beams mid-shoot as a stream of images flash up on the photographer's monitor, including one batch captured inside a steam room (heat off, no less).

For fans of BBC's Silent Witness, which Oxford-educated Emilia has starred in for two decades since replacing predecessor Amanda Burton in 2004, her w&h cover shoot says one thing - forensic pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander is back. This week, Britain's longest-running TV crime drama returns for a brand new series - its 28th.

'I feel very lucky to still be with a show that I love so much, and each year I go back feels as exciting as when I began,' says Emilia, who now also has the 'privilege' of executive-producing Silent Witness, as well as presenting C4's true crime series