‘It feels crazy to be back’

Eastenders’ star Louisa Lytton, 29, is back on screen as Ruby Allen after 12 years away – and she’s at the centre of a harrowing rape storyline…

How does it feel to be back in Walford? It feels crazy. On one hand it’s like I never left, and on the other it feels like a new job again… And you’re straight into this hugely important storyline? [Eastenders boss] John Yorke called me and said, “We want to bring you back and this is the nature of the storyline.” I said I was happy to do it, as long as I could work closely with an organisation such as Rape Crisis. I just want to do the topic justice, and it’s great to be given this platform to get people talking. Where do you hope it will lead? I’m hoping that young people will watch the show and have more of an education about sex and relationships; the dos and don’ts about what is rape and what is consent. I’ll hopefully get people thinking when they’re in situations that could go one way or the other. Have you learned anything through doing research? The only surprising thing is how much people tend to blame themselves when something like this happens – and it’s one of the main reasons why people don’t come forward and report rape to the police. It’s been difficult for victims to be taken seriously, but hopefully this is changing. What have you been up to off screen? I’ve been all over the place. I’ve been in America and Canada. I did a musical, I’ve done a lot of theatre… I’ve been really busy, which is great because it’s a difficult industry and sometimes you can be typecast. Did you think about quitting acting at all? Every six months I’ve got a new idea, like how I’m going to become a personal trainer or a teacher. You do sometimes wonder if this is the right thing to stick at when you don’t know when your next job is coming in. I’ve worked on a reception in a yoga studio and I’ve done childminding but, deep down, this is what I love and this is what I want to do. Are you watching Strictly? [Louisa made it to the quarterfinals in 2006 – aged just 17] I’ve watched it on and off over the years. It’s such a good show. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. We must touch upon the (amazing) fact that you were Emma Watson’s [Hermione’s] double in Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets...? I was! For about a week. I went to Sylvia Young Theatre School and they had a lot of kids from there doing the Harry Potter films. It just so happened that I was the same height and build as Emma Watson, so I had to put a wig on and stand in for back-of-head shots. My boyfriend [company boss Benny, 27] is more excited about that than anything else. He’s such a fan and he makes me sit and go through the film. The thing is, I can’t remember now what I did, but he’s like, “Just try!” Does he watch Eastenders? He’s never watched a day of soap in his life. I did say to him the other day, “You’ve got to watch this now – every episode!” Nothing changes for us apart from that I’m busy and I’m at work a lot. It just means I’m not at home moaning about him and picking up his dirty washing…