Life lessons with Holby actress Laila Rouass
Actress Laila Rouass (49), revisiting her role as Dr Sahira Shah in Holby City, chats about being back on the wards and her philosophy of life
■ It’s good to be back
Being back in Holby City feels like being reunited with family. Although only two of the actors – Bob Barrett who plays Sacha Levy and Guy Henry who plays Henrik Hanssen – are still in the show from when I was here from 2011 to 2012, many of the crew are still the same. It’s a lovely place to work, even at the moment, when we’re having to be socially distanced. I left last time because my daughter Inez was very young, just starting primary school, and I needed to be there for her. She’s 13 now, though, and far more self-sufficient.
■ My philosophy for setbacks
I’ve been studying the life and beliefs of the Stoic philosopher, Epictetus, who lived in the first century AD.
His philosophy is all about dealing with setbacks – such as we are all having to do at the moment. As far as Epictetus is concerned, all external events are beyond our control and we should accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through self-discipline. It’s been a lifesaver for me.
■ I’m a believer in intuitive eating
This may sound a bit hippy dippy but it’s based on scientific fact and research. It’s a way of eating that makes you the expert of your body and its hunger signals. Essentially, it’s the opposite of going on a traditional diet. It doesn’t impose guidelines about what to avoid and what or when to eat. It’s about listening to your body and eating food that makes your body feel good.
■ Breaking habits takes practice
I believe our eating habits come from our childhoods and it’s not easy to break old habits. It takes practice to actually break a habit. I believe you need to deal with your mental, spiritual and emotional attitudes towards what you eat before you even start looking at the food. Once you deal with those things, you become a lot more in tune with your body and emotions.
■ One of my scariest challenges
It has to be doing Strictly Come Dancing. I was partnered with Anton du Beke and while I had a great time, it was certainly very challenging. The Saturday evening live shows were so nervewracking and exhausting. We’d be there from 8am on Saturday mornings – camera rehearsal, lighting rehearsal, dress rehearsal… By the time we got to do it for real, we were worn out. It felt like sleep-dancing! For the professional dancers it’s a bit like teaching a child how to do their ABCs over and over again. Anton and the other pros have the patience of saints, bless ‘em.
■ Have compassion for yourself
I think that’s very important. I’ve always been quite tough and unkind to myself and tend to talk to myself really badly – with no compassion. We wouldn’t talk to our friends the way we sometimes talk to ourselves. I want to make negative thoughts about myself a thing of the past.
■ Holby City, BBC1, Tuesdays 8pm
■ Laila was talking to Alison James