She is known for playing strong outspoken women on screen, but growing up Denise McCormack says she was more of a listener than a talker. The trait has proved to be a valuable asset for the actress, who has starred in Love/ Hate, Red Rock and more recently EastEnders.

She’s on TV3 in Red Rock, but switch over to RTÉ or BBC and she’s there again, this time in Eastenders. Liz O’Brien meets soap queen Denise McCormack

The process of breathing life into words on a page is magic.