Michelle Ryan

(on playing Nimeuh in Merlin) Michelle Ryan: It was really great fun. I'd normally played wicked girls who have a bad side or a dark side but Nimeuh is really evil. I mean she has been treated badly in the past but she's still a bitch.

[On how she got her role in "Bionic Woman"] Michelle Ryan: I was just called in to do an audition, so I put myself on tape and that was then sent to NBC and they liked what they saw and then they brought me out to do a screen test and then within a week I found out I had the job.

Michelle Ryan: I was recently in New York promoting the show [Bionic Woman] recently and met Josh Holloway from Lost. He congratulated me and I said, 'Why are you congratulating me? You're on Lost!'

[On being on EastEnders at a young age] Michelle Ryan: It was a bit weird when people recognized me in the street, because they associate you with your character. It was when I was growing up and trying to find my own identity.

[On why she left EastEnders] Michelle Ryan: It just got really boring in the end. It was too easy. I think I'd found every possible layer to the character, and I got to the point where I needed a new challenge. I was 21, and desperate to go out and meet some new people.

[On if she watched the original Bionic Woman] Michelle Ryan: I remember seeing clips of Lindsay Wagner and thinking that she looked like a very pretty, very nice lady. I was so young, that that's all I really remember!

[On her character from Bionic Woman] Michelle Ryan: I would say she's feisty and smart and loyal, and also warm and vulnerable. She's a young woman who's trying to find her way in life, she's dealing with these incredible things that are being thrown at her. But yes, she's kicking ass, and yeah, she is kind of taking on the world. But she's also feeling very vulnerable, and she has a boyfriend who isn't entirely honest with her.

[On training for Bionic Woman] Michelle Ryan: At first I couldn't even do one press-up, but by the end of it I could do 15, 20 reps. When I'm left to my own devices, I don't work out. I'll walk the dog with my mum or go out dancing with my friends, but I like sleeping. The first week was grueling, but by the second week I loved it because it gave me so much energy and confidence.

Michelle Ryan: What's cool this time around is how relatable the Bionic Woman is. She's a normal girl with everyday concerns, like what's the state of her love life. What's even cooler is, she can leap from building to building if she needs to.

[On how she feels with her new found stardom] Michelle Ryan: How do I feel? I don't know...I'm speechless. I think that would be the best word. I don't think any of it has really sunken in.