Patricia Hodge - Patricia Hodge Writing Memoirs

The 66-year-old star admits she had no interest in telling her life story because she is "extremely private", but she has agreed to open up in her autobiography after having a change of heart.

She tells Britain's Daily Mail, "I must be mad because I'm an extremely private person. But about a month ago I got a new offer and suddenly found myself thinking: 'Why not?'

"There are secret things in my life I don't really want to talk about and I want it to be about my life as an actress, but I am sensible enough to realise they want both."

Hodge has received a new wave of interest in her life after starring in the Bbc's hit sitcom Miranda since 2009.