Liza Goddard - The Autobiography of Liza Goddard: Working with Children and Animals

In the beginning

I keep thinking that I will wake up one day and find it has all been a dream.

For as long as I can remember, all that I ever wanted to do was act.

It may have had something to do with the fact that I made my stage debut at Farnham Rep at the age of 18 months, as the infant Queen Elizabeth in The Merry Wives of Windsor . This, of course, was a performance that I knew nothing about. Or it could be because I was thrown into the limelight by my father, who worked for the BBC, when the director of one series he was working on was looking for children Dad said that he had two daughters. My sister hated it, I loved it, and so a dream was born, and from that moment I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life.

I spent every waking moment dreaming of being on stage, and was always the first one to volunteer for school plays and musicals. Then, after pestering my parents nonstop, I was sent to drama school, where I studied with the likes of Nigel Havers, Susie Blake and Jane Seymour.

Since those days, I have been fortunate enough to work with some great classical, film, TV and comedy actors the likes of Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Kenneth More, Joan Plowright, Vanessa Redgrave, Coral Browne, Dick Emery, David Jason, Nigel Planer, Susan Jameson, James Bolam, George Cole, Dennis Waterman, Robert Powell, John Nettles, Jimmy Edwards and Julian Fellowes.

I have appeared in some of Britains most iconic TV series, including The Brothers , Take Three Girls and Dr Who . And, for a while, I even had my own little series on television what a thrill that was. For reasons that I have never quite been able to fathom, much of my career has involved childrens programmes, and I have loved every single moment of that too.

I even thought for a brief moment back there that I might be on the brink of making the big time in America. The salary they were talking about was like listening to somebody reel off their telephone number. It didnt work out in the end, but I have absolutely no regrets, especially when I see just how neurotic some so-called American stars are that could have been me. It really could.

Then there was pantomime. Have you any idea how much hard work is involved, and how exhausting it all is? And have you any idea what a sheer joy it is to do? To see the faces of hundreds of young children light up or laugh at a corny joke makes it all worthwhile. Gloriously so.

I have been married to former Dr Who Colin Baker and to 1970s pop superstar Alvin Stardust, and I have two wonderful children, Thom and Sophie. And, eventually, I found the right man in David Cobham, who has been by my side through some pretty traumatic times.

More recently, my life has been dominated by Alan Ayckbourn, Britains greatest living playwright, and perhaps the best there has ever been. I really dont know what I did to win his favour, but it would appear that he has a soft spot for me, and he tells me that I am a better actress than I believe I am.

There have been some dark days too none more so than when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and was told that both my breasts would have to be removed. It was a tough time, but I battled through it all and came out the other side. My beloved husband has also fought his own health battles, but he, too, remains to tell the tale, and one of the best things about it all was that I got to work with him on several shows.

Like everybody else, I have made mistakes and I have regrets but, on the whole, I have had a very rewarding adventure, and one of the most important lessons I have learnt is that we must all live every day of our lives to the full, and try to enjoy it because you never know what is around the corner.

I have been blessed in so many ways, working almost nonstop throughout my career. I keep thinking that I will wake up one day and find it has all been a dream, or that somebody will find me out, and I will never work again. But, so far, it hasnt happened.

And do you know what? I owe it all to a kangaroo.

They say that you should never work with children and animals, but I seem to have spent my entire career doing precisely that. It all started with a kangaroo called Skippy. Or, more accurately, it all started with a whole host of kangaroos, none of which were actually called Skippy.

So how does a young English girl end up being cast in what became arguably the most popular Australian TV series of all time? Yes, I know that there might be some of you who will point to Neighbours , but I stand my ground, notwithstanding the fact that Neighbours gave us the likes of Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue.

Skippy put kangaroos on the map! And me too...