Actor Eve Myles looks back: ‘Early on, I was told I wasn’t the typical leading lady. Now I realise my idiosyncrasies are what make me authentic’

<p>The Doctor Who and Torchwood star on growing up in a mining village, how Russell T Davies changed her life, and sausage rolls</p><p>Born in 1978 in Ystradgynlais, Wales, actor Eve Myles trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama before landing her first major role as Ceri Lewis in the&nbsp;BBC Wales drama Belonging, which ran from 2000 to 2009. She became a&nbsp;mainstream name playing Gwen Cooper in Torchwood, the BBC’s Doctor Who spin-off, from 2006 to 2011, and later won acclaim for her lead performance as Faith Howells in the thriller Keeping Faith/<em>Un Bore Mercher</em>. She lives in Cardiff with her husband, the actor Bradley Freegard, and their three daughters. She stars in ITV’s drama series The Hack this autumn.</p><p><strong>This photo, taken at my third birthday</strong> party, reveals that I was brought up on&nbsp;pork-based foods. For this special occasion, it was sausage rolls and chipolatas on sticks – very posh, and the marker of any good celebration. My mother had obviously gone to town&nbsp;on that icing to hide the atrocity of the sponge cake that was buried under there. I would have been high as&nbsp;a kite after taking one bite.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/oct/12/actor-eve-myles-doctor-who-torchwood-idiosyncrasies-make-me-authentic">Continue reading...</a>