HOW IS YOUR CHARACTER DEVELOPING THIS SERIES?
Outwards and outwards again… she’s a pregnant woman inside and she’s just getting used to the fact that Josh is no longer with her in the prison. It’s not that difficult for her yet, because she’s just starting to grow a bit – it’s just things like food which are a problem. Once she’s in the Mother and Baby unit, it’ll be a different issue. She’s got problems with accommodation, the way they’re treated. The place is dirty, not exactly as hygienic as you’d imagine they would be. It opens up issues about having babies in prison, which is very important.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING IN BAD GIRLS?
Working with the girls, I’d say. I’ve learnt so much from people like Linda Henry who’s been in the business for years, and Jack Ellis, and so many others. I’ve never had the chance to develop a character before. I’d never done more than two episodes of a show, but this is the fourth series and I feel like I’ve really developed the character. She’s not as miserable as she was before - being with Josh has chilled her out as well.

It’s like family – I’ve been on holiday with people from the show. I met up with Linda and Vicky on holiday this summer in Greece. We spent a week together, which was brilliant.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER?
I do like the fact that although she’s changed a lot, she still comes out with these sayings… ‘You’re still going to burn in hell for that…’ A recent one is ‘All pimps and pervs should burn in hell.’ Which is quite dodgy if there’s anyone watching who’s a pimp or a perv. She’s still got that abrupt point-of-view.

WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER?
The same thing really! She gets herself in trouble with it sometimes. And she can be a push-over. People pull on those strings – she’s quite compassionate. She can be fooled by people like Buki.

DO YOU LIKE THE COSTUMES THAT YOUR CHARACTER WEARS? WOULD YOU WEAR THEM OUT?
No! No way! I can’t stand Crystal’s dress sense. She has no taste in clothes at all. Bright colours, yellows, big oranges… she likes vibrant colours, but the co-ordination between tops and bottoms is not good. She always looks like someone’s thrown up on her.

HOW DO PEOPLE RE-ACT TO YOU ON THE STREET?
They all have really nice things to say. They say ‘You’ve been let out now’ or ‘When’s the baby due?’ and ‘How’s your mister, is he still with you?’ They all comment on how different I look. They say ‘Well your hair’s exactly the same, but you look really different.’ I don’t know what it is, maybe when I become her my face changes, I have different facial expressions.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR CHARACTER? ANY TRAITS THAT YOU SHARE?
No… well, she sings, I sing. She plays instruments, I play instruments. I can be a bit blunt, but not as much as she is. If I’m blunt with someone they’re quite surprised, because I’m quite an easy-going person, I’d like to think. I’m relaxed, whereas she’s a bit tense.

WHAT SCENE HAVE YOU MOST ENJOYED OR HATED FILMING SO FAR?
Since joining… I really liked doing the scene where Zandra Plackett died of her brain tumour – well, not that actual scene, obviously! – but in the chapel they had a memorial service and I had to read a letter that Zandra had left. It was a little bit weepy and I love doing weepy scenes, I don’t know why. The ones I enjoy most are the ones where everyone’s on set, in the atrium or the servery, and we always have a laugh. Someone always cocks up, or there’s a line that makes everyone laugh, that’s the most fun. There are so many. The one where the water got spilt on Virginia and she jumped out of her chair, that was a laugh, or when there’s a fight. I’m dying to get involved in a fight.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW EXTERIOR?
It’s amazing. I was really surprised. I did a lot of work in prisons before coming to Bad Girls because I was in plays that toured them, and it’s just so realistic. It’s fibreglass, but it looks like hard, grey, decrepit cement, from a lot of prisons I’ve been to! They’ve done a lot of hard work there and it’s going to pay off, definitely.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR FREETIME?
Music. It’s got to be music. I do singing and song-writing and I’m trying to get all this equipment together because I’m trying to get at least some kind of demo tape out so I can either get a publishing deal or a record deal. I write my own music. It’s a mixture of jazz, funk, trip-hop, soul… It’s a little bit like Macy Gray, Erykah Badu – jazzy, but I’d like to get a British tip on it. That and going to the pictures, and eating. And I do a bit of photography as well, but that’s really gone on the back-burner, I just don’t have the time.

HOW WOULD YOU GET ON WITH YOUR CHARACTER IF YOU MET THEM IN REAL LIFE?
We’d be all right. I’d win her over with my knowledge of the Bible, and then I’d try and chill her out, and take her shopping. I’d take her for a make-over. I’d love to see Crystal get some new clothes sent in – some really snazzy skirts and trousers, decent shoes… I’d make her do some tai’chi and sort her out with some Buddhist teachings, maybe chill her out a little bit.