Downton star in NZ

Joanne’s sneaky visit

As Lady Mary’s maid Anna Bates in Downton Abbey, actress Joanne Froggatt wasn’t exactly living the high life.

So it was no wonder few people recognised her when she visited New Zealand and hit Auckland’s café scene like a high-society gourmand.

“I backpacked around Australia for a few months, then headed to New Zealand because one of my best friends was living in Auckland at the time,” says Joanne, 36. “I spent three weeks just hanging out. Auckland has a fantastic café lifestyle and I think I put on a stone [6kg] in about three weeks because we went out to dinner so much!”

The actress gave our City of Sails the big thumbs-up, but she wasn’t so lucky when she tried to see other parts of the country.

In the Bay of Islands, a day trip to swim with dolphins was cancelled due to a wild storm and then – just as she was preparing to see the South Island – a sudden work commitment saw her boarding a plane back to Britain instead.

“It was a real shame,” laments Joanne. “I definitely plan to come back and see more. I loved New Zealand – the laid-back lifestyle, sunshine and beautiful scenery.”

Last year, the actress played Britain’s first female serial killer, Mary Ann Cotton, in the TV series

Dark Angel and this month her new movie, A Street Cat Named

Bob, opened in NZ cinemas. Joanne plays a social worker in the film, which is based on the true story of a homeless and recovering drug addict who befriends a stray ginger cat.

She acknowledges that it was her Downton role that allows her the luxury of picking and choosing her roles – even though her character was far from glamorous! “I have a certain amount of vanity, but when I’m playing a character, I don’t really mind how I look, so long as it’s truthful to the character,” she tells.

“In my own life, I’d never leave the house without mascara and blusher, but on Downton Abbey, I didn’t get to wear lipstick or mascara for six years – and I was quite happy to let millions of people see me like that.”

In 2012, Joanne married IT director James Cannon. She confesses one of her favourite things is to relax with a glass of wine, but she might not have that luxury for much longer. “I’ve definitely got some maternal instincts and I’d definitely like to have children at some point.”