Lucy in the frame

The 34-year-old actress tells us she has been acting since she was a girl of nine with one of her first roles in Dr Who, the modern-day version of which has now returned to the small screen.

But she started her career in earnest in the West End in musical theatre and since leaving EastEnders, she has ventured back onto the stage, with one of her most challenging stage roles yet, beginning this month.

Starring along side Coronation Street's Thomas Craig (Tommie Harris) and Casualty's Vincenzo Pelligrino, Lucy will have audiences on the edge of their seats in the suspenseful thriller, Framed, at Bromley's Churchill Theatre.

She said: "It's a heavy script, with my character featuring on every page."

"It is a psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns. Without giving it away, my character, Judy, goes on a holiday with her boyfriend who she discovers, is not who he says he is.

"The audience is left guessing right up until the very end and you are just on the edge of your seat. When I was reading it, I was thinking ... What is going on in this script'?

It's not Lisa Fowler but the character is like Lisa in many ways. She's definitely as unlucky as Lisa," she laughs.

Lucy's first step back onto the stage, aside from her various panto roles, was in York in July last year when she starred in the highly-recommended The Pocket Dream, a play by Sandi Toksvig.

The actress confesses to always suffering an attack of nerves when she takes the stage initially.

"It's so different from television. The audience reaction is instant and it usually takes me a day or so to settle into the role. But at least you can mess around with it from show to show."

The former EastEnder says the stage is not all that has been keeping her busy since leaving the hectic soap schedule.

She explains she has also had some on-screen roles, firstly on TV drama Casualty and more recently a cameo role in her first feature film, Cactus Films' The Manilla Envelope.

"It was only a cameo role and I only had the pages of my script, so I don't really know the gist of the movie.

"I played the mother of a very naughty boy. It is a British film and I have never done a film before so I was delighted to be part of it." The Manilla Envelope, which also stars Denise van Outen, comes out in the summer.

For now, and proving there is definitely life after EastEnders, Lucy says she has to concentrate on Framed which will be touring theatres around the country and will take her through until mid-August.

But, has Lucy ruled out ever returning to the Square?

"I had a great time with the show but that chapter has closed now. I'm not thinking about whether I would go back but my character was not killed off, she just left, like most people, in a black cab.

"You never say never and if they had any storylines involving Lisa, I would certainly talk with them."

One thing's for certain, if she ever does return to EastEnders, she knows she would have to be prepared for the punishing schedule involved.

"EastEnders is hard work. If you are heavily featured you can end up working 7.30am to 7.30pm five to six days a week but it balances out when you are not heavily featured.

"I was on EastEnders for five years and I jad some big storylines. Probably the Who Shot Phil story was the best one but the wrangling over baby Louise was good as well."

Lucy draws very few parallels between herself and character Lisa Fowler saying: "There've been times when I looked back at some episodes and I thought What a whinger ... why doesn't she just shut up'," the actress laughs.

But although she is not a part of the show anymore, Lucy still watches EastEnders when she gets a chance and thinks its recent bad run is coming to and end.

And she admits it's not only EastEnders she watches. "When I have some time off, I am a bit of a telly addict really. I also like to read and catch up with friends and family."

But she prefers the cameras to be well away from her in her down time and insists she could never take part in reality TV programmes such as Big Brother or "that jungle thing".

"The only thing I would consider, would be something like Strictly Come Dancing but I can't stand the thought of cameras being on me 24 hours a day."

And after a difficult year in her personal life, Lucy, who is single again, says her only hopes for the future are to "settle down and have a good home life and a good career."

She urges the public to get tickets to Framed saying: "When I read the script, it was a real page-turner. It is a great play and it is really well written by Martin Sterling who also writes for Coronation Street."

Framed is at the Churchill Theatre from May 17 to 21.