DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER:
Lorna is a teacher at Waterloo Road. She is highly organised and a genuinely nice person but her hyper-efficiency obscures that. She is in a long term relationship with Tom who is also a teacher at the school but the relationship has almost run its course. However Lorna is desperate to salvage what she can and her need to do so sometimes clouds her judgement.

DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER IN 3 WORDS:
Organised, quiet, desperate.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT LORNA?
I love how organised Lorna is and that she has a good and decent heart. I think she would come out of her shell a lot more without Tom though - I think there is room for development!

WHAT DO YOU LIKE LEAST ABOUT LORNA?
She is a bit too anal for my liking. I would tell her to chill out.

WHAT ARE LORNA'S LIFE VALUES AND DO THESE DIFFER FROM YOUR OWN?
We both have a very strong view of the family unit but we differ in the fact that Lorna is desperate to get a ring on her finger - I'd rather have my eyes poked out!!

DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE A LOVE INTEREST?
Tom and Lorna have been together for five years and it is a case of opposites attract. Whereas Lorna is more quiet and straight-forward, Tom is very down to earth and laid back. I think that their relationship has run its test of time and that they are bogged down with the mundane details of every day life. But whilst Lorna can live with this, Tom can't and this causes tension. Lorna will do anything in her power to keep the relationship alive.

WHICH CHARACTER AT WATERLOO ROAD DOES LORNA RELATE TO BEST?
Lorna and Izzie are very close. Like Tom, Izzie is very down to earth and Lorna likes to surround herself with good spirits.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A VICTIM OF BULLYING?
Nothing too major - I was called Big Ears when I was little but it hasn't caused any problems in later life!

ANY WORDS OF ADVICE TO KIDS WHO ARE VICTIMS OF BULLYING?
Don't lose your sense of self or belief in yourself - I use to ignore the jibes and go into my own little world and not let it get to me.

IF YOU HAVE KIDS OF YOUR OWN - DO YOU TAKE A KEEN INTEREST IN THEIR EDUCATION?
I do have a child, Joe, who is six. He attends a lovely international school and he is really happy. He has small classes which I think is really important and does lots of sport which I think is essential when growing up.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND BROUGHT UP?
I was born in Cork, Ireland but grew up in Wimbledon/Putney.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW?
South London.

WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF ARRIVING AT THE WATERLOO ROAD SET?
Oh no, I'm going to be filming in Rochdale during the winter! My first impression was that it was a weird, depressing building but it does grow on you and it is does make you feel like you are back at school with the sense of institution and the smells.

DESCRIBE THE STAFF ROOM AT WATERLOO ROAD?
Manky brown with a fish tank and weird coffee cups that teachers usually drink from.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST PROFESSIONAL ACTING ROLE?
I did a film call A Summer Story when I was 10.

WHAT ROLE ARE YOU BEST KNOWN FOR?
The press tend to drag out my role in Emmerdale whenever they refer to me so I would have to say that.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE STORYLINE COMING UP AND WHY?
The journey that Tom and Lorna take together through the ups and downs of their relationship is interesting and I also enjoy the love triangle storyline between Izzie, Tom and Lorna.

WHAT HAVE YOU ENJOYED MOST ABOUT RECORDING WATERLOO ROAD?
The lunch breaks - we had great catering on set and I always looked forward to meal times!

HAVE YOU HAD A HOLIDAY RECENTLY?
I recently visited Munich this year to see some friends and loved it - it is such a beautiful place and I really like their open culture.

HAVE YOU ANY LONG TERM GOALS OR AMBITIONS FOR THE FUTURE?
I just want to keep on doing what I'm doing and will see where life takes me.