Obviously I'm not a violent person; I don't like violence, but I would definitely go into defending myself if the situation arose.
I just believe that sometimes in life you're like a shark - you have to keep moving through water; otherwise, you'll die.
The whole dream of having your own place is great, but the reality is having to cook and clean yourself and do the washing and make sure there's milk in the fridge. But you have to grow up some time.
I love doing action; I love doing martial arts. There's almost something balletic about it.
When I was ten, I saw 'Grease' on stage and thought: 'I want to be part of that; it looks like so much fun.' My mum enrolled me in a local theatre group, and it all went from there.
Doing the same thing day in, day out. It's just so boring. I like to jump from different things.
When I left EastEnders, I could have earned an absolute fortune from sexy calendars, shoots for lads' mags, fitness videos and reality shows. But I always turned them down.
Working on new projects gives you the opportunity to learn and absorb new things.
I think it's so important as an actor that you hang on to your own inner compass, because so many people want to guide you - 'This is what you should you be doing'. But I want to do different things.
I've always loved the guitar. You see Jimi Hendrix playing the guitar with his teeth, and OK, you know you're never going to be able to do that, but I always wanted to play an instrument of some sort.
Soaps are a great springboard for any actor but if you want to be taken seriously, you have to be careful.
All that celebrity stuff isn't me. It's just not acting.