FIRST PERSON: Actress Caroline Sheen's journey from Caerleon to the West End

I GREW up in St Julians but I went to school in Caerleon.

We moved to Caerleon when I was about 10 or 11. I was head girl at Caerleon Comprehensive.

My mum actually ended up being head teacher there after I had left. She had taught there before I was there but wasn’t teaching when I was there.

She did a bit of supply teaching when I was there. I had her as a supply teacher for a day once, and it was really confusing what to call her. I couldn’t exactly call my mum Mrs Sheen.

I didn’t actually get in to acting through school. My parents were both involved with local theatre at the Dolman. They used to do shows twice a year.

When I was about nine or 10, they started doing shows which would involve children, and I begged them to let me join in. I was in a performance of The Sound of Music.

It all started from watching my mum and dad perform. I loved watching the magic of it. Even when I go there now, I still feel that same magic. It’s really exciting.

From then on I started acting. I joined the Gwent Young People’s Theatre in Abergavenny and I did three summer courses at the National Youth Theatre of Wales.

My cousin Michael [Sheen] had gone off to drama college and made a success of it. So I went off to college at 18 and got my degree.

I actually left college early at 21, as I had got an agent and a role in the West End, as Marty, one of the pink ladies in Grease.

It was like all my dreams had come true. I couldn’t believe my luck.

Caroline Sheen as Eponine in Les Miserables in 2002. Picture: Les Miserables/Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg

When I was starting out, I wrote down roles that I wanted to play. One of those roles was Eponine in Les Misérables. It blew my mind that I was able to play someone that I had always wanted to play.

I have been lucky with roles I have played, but it has been a lot of hard work and commitment.

I have committed my life to this. But I am doing something that I love.

Now that I have my family as well, it is about getting that balance between work and life.

For all of my twenties I never stopped working.

Before I had my daughter, Mary Poppins flew in to my life.

Caroline Sheen as Mary Poppins. Picture: Walt Disney Theatrical.

We toured it in America. I actually got to meet Michelle Obama while we were touring. It was a really good time to go on tour.

I was one of the first people to perform on the stage at the Wales Millennium Centre. I was part of the opening concert celebrating five people from Wales who had taken the Welsh brand and put it out there.

They were Gwyneth Jones, Shirley Bassey, Sian Phillips, Alun Hoddinott and Richard Burton.

It was an amazing night to be a part of.

During the interval, they put the safety curtain down and they couldn’t take it out again. It took them about 15 minutes to pull the curtain back again.

It was a great night. It was the first and only time that I have ever performed with my cousin. I did a big song with Only Men Aloud!

I’ve since done other performances there as well.

I love that theatre. My little girl calls it my theatre.

Caroline Sheen in 9-5 the Musical, alongside Natalie McQueen, and Amber Davies (L-R). Picture: 9 to 5 The Musical.

9 to 5 has been one of the maddest 10 weeks of my life, but it has been such fun.

It’s been busy and hectic, and it has been absolutely joyous.

As I was replacing Louise Redknapp, I joined the cast in the final week of rehearsals.

The cast have been so supportive. I’m going to really miss it when I finish on Saturday.

9 to 5 has been pretty big. When it is finished, it will hit home. I got the call on the Thursday, auditioned on the Friday and started on the Saturday.

After next Sunday I will be ready for a big lie down.

I’m in a TV programme called Pitching In which has been out on BBC One Wales, but is coming out on BBC just after I finish 9 to 5.

It’s a comedy drama starring Larry Lamb set in North Wales.

Hopefully people will like it and we can get a second series.

The weirdest thing about working on TV is once you have finished that scene you can just forget the line. It’s so different to on stage where you need to know them all every night.

Other than that, it’s the same – it’s just acting.

You don’t have to be quite as exaggerated on TV though.

I really enjoyed the experience. It was a big learning curve for me.

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The support that I have had from my family is incredible. I am married to an actor so our lives are up in the air all the time.

Now I’m a mum, I’m not sure what I’d say if my daughter told me she wanted to be an actor.

But there was no question with my mum and dad supporting me. They have always had the upmost faith in me and I am very lucky.

They are brilliant.

I was back in Wales at home for New Year. It’s always such a lovely place to come home to.

It’s nice to go back to your roots.

Now the best thing is having my little girl come and watch me and seeing the show through her eyes.

It’s tough, but balancing being a mum and acting is something that I am really proud of.