Vicky McClure is one of those people who has the kind of easy warmth we could happily listen to all day.

Down to earth and real as they come in the glitz and glamour world of television, when we asked McClure to speak to us about the advice she’d give her younger self, her only request was copious amounts of tea, and her answers were as relatable as her rider.

At 35 years old, the actor from Nottingham has shone throughout her career in roles in This is England, Broadchurch and most recently as Kate Fleming in the thrilling Line of Duty, giving her years of experience in the public eye and equipping her with wise words that we wish we’d heard when we were teenagers.  

Here, we ask McClure to look back on her formative years and pick out some lessons she’s learned, from why she shouldn’t have sprinkled buckets full of sugar on her cereal, to the joy of body acceptance. You’re never too old to take advice, eh?

On fashion disasters

“I used to do the Grandad cap backwards and I actually went to my Grandad’s and got his cap. But it was the kind of jeans with the shoe that was wrong. It’s not a good look.”

On health

“Too much sugar on my cereal. My mum would make my cereal and give it to me, she’d leave the room and I’d go back to the sugar bowl and cover it. And that’s how you get fillings.”

On body image

“I was a dancer when I was younger and I was exercising a lot, so my body was in good shape. It’s in good shape now, it’s just I’m always going to be conscious of my arms because I don’t lift weights. So you know, let the bingo wings fly!”

On self confidence

“I’d be surprised if nobody’s suffered with self-confidence, whether you’re young or now. But when you’re young I think you just let it play on your mind for longer. The older I’ve got, the quicker I let it go. It’s harder to tell your younger self, you’ve got to learn it, you’ve got to live it.”

On pressure 

“There’s too much pressure on kids nowadays. There’s so much pressure to look a certain way, be a certain way and have everything under control and it’s not possible. We’re all completely different. Everybody’s different and everybody’s going to do it in their own way, so do it your way.”

Watch the full video above.