Maureen Lipman is a veteran of the stage, but recently she found it particularly hard to speak in public.
She was giving a eulogy at the funeral of one of her best friends, Lynda Bellingham.
She managed to hold back the tears but broke down towards the end of her eloquent speech.
Naturally the tragic occasion brought her own grief for her husband nearer the surface.
Her husband of 30 years and father of her two children, writer Jack Rosenthal, died a decade ago from cancer.
Maureen, who is coming to Birmingham Rep to star in the comedy Harvey, says wistfully: 鈥淚t鈥檚 very hard when you are one thing, and suddenly you have to be another.
鈥淥ne minute you鈥檙e someone鈥檚 wife, the next you鈥檙e not.
鈥淲e live in a world where you are supposed to pull yourself together and forget the person who has been your best friend for 30 years.
鈥淵ou can feel very alone.
鈥淚 went back to work after eight months even though I didn鈥檛 know what I was doing. It helped, because there were new people who didn鈥檛 know me as Jack鈥檚 wife.
鈥淚t does get easier to bear, but I still go to see Jack鈥檚 grave every two weeks and talk to him. If I鈥檓 going away, I tell him where I鈥檓 going.
鈥淛ack is very much around and part of our life, the kids and me. He lives in my head and he鈥檚 the opposite of forgotten.
鈥淚 had 30 years with Jack. Lynda didn鈥檛 have nearly as long with her husband Michael, but he brought her a lot of happiness.
鈥淟ynda was an amazing woman, and look how she鈥檚 still looking after her children now, with a number one book in the bestseller list.鈥
Maureen, 68, insists she has plenty to look forward to, including the arrival of her second grandchild, appropriately due on her wedding anniversary in February 鈥 and right in the middle of her time in Birmingham.
鈥淚鈥檒l be rushing back on the train as soon as I can to see him. We know he鈥檚 going to be a boy.
鈥淢y first grandchild, Ava, is two in April and a very powerful woman already! She won鈥檛 take any prisoners.
鈥淚 have put my back out lifting her up too many times. It鈥檚 a facet joint injury, apparently. I鈥檝e been to a physiotherapist who should see me right.鈥
Maureen has another partner in her life, retired Italian-born businessman Guido Castro. They were introduced by a mutual friend in 2008.
鈥淚 am very lucky to have had two very good men in my life. I feel blessed to have been loved by two good people.
鈥淲e have a lovely relationship but I don鈥檛 think marriage is necessary. It is if you鈥檙e going to have children and you want them to have one name, but it鈥檚 not necessary for me. I don鈥檛 need a piece of paper to make me feel honourable.
鈥淕uido is very cultured and loves the theatre but he has no idea what I do for my job.
鈥淗e says things like 鈥楾he audience really seemed to love your monologues, but I didn鈥檛 understand them鈥.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 quite refreshing. When he met Christopher Biggins, he said 鈥楢nd what do you do for a living?鈥欌
Maureen is currently in rehearsals for the play Harvey, first produced on Broadway in 1944. Written by Mary Chase, it won a Pulitzer Prize before being made into the 1950 classic film with James Stewart.
James Dreyfus of Notting Hill and Gimme Gimme Gimme fame plays Elwood P. Dowd, who has an unwavering friendship with a 6ft tall invisible rabbit called Harvey.
Maureen says: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a charming, beautifully written play and I think very relevant to these ghastly, frightening times.
鈥淵ou wonder whether it鈥檚 a world you really want to hand on to your grandchildren.
鈥淓lwood is a man who鈥檚 someone different in society who gradually wins everybody round.
鈥淲ouldn鈥檛 it be nice if we saw life through his eyes? There鈥檚 not a lot of charm and optimism about these days.
鈥淗e鈥檚 always pleasant and kind, he鈥檚 non-judgemental and he listens 鈥 that鈥檚 in short supply these days.
鈥淢y character is his sister Veta who鈥檚 very materialistic and 鈥榳ant want want鈥.
鈥淪he tries to get him committed in a mental hospital because she has no money 鈥 that鈥檚 all gone to Elwood 鈥 and to survive she must marry her daughter off well. She is trying to launch her into society but Elwood keeps ruining it by introducing everyone to his rabbit.
鈥淏ut in trying to get him committed, she ends up with more than she bargained for. And Elwood wins the day through sheer pleasantness.鈥
Maureen has been very involved in politics in the past but recently declared she could no longer support the Labour Party.
She said: 鈥淚 can鈥檛 in all seriousness go into a booth and put my mark on any one of them.鈥
She was particularly annoyed with Ed Miliband, who comes from a family of Jews but was pictured eating a bacon sandwich and wants the state of Palestine to be recognised.
Maureen is still a socialist, though, and finds the far right parties to be even more dangerous.
Recently 海角视频IP leader Nigel Farage said Maureen was to blame to too many young people going to university to study poor quality degrees.
Maureen made adverts for BT throughout the 1980s, the most famous of which saw her telling her grandson that having an 鈥渙logy鈥 made him a scientist.
Now she says of Farage: 鈥淗e has a capacity for sounding humorous with his off the cuff remarks, which is fine as long as no-one takes him seriously.
鈥淚n times of austerity, that鈥檚 when racists and xenophobes come out of the woodwork and say 鈥榚verything will be a lot better if we didn鈥檛 let the people with brown skin and big noses in鈥.
鈥淚f we fall for it, then we deserve what we effing well get.鈥
Harvey plays Birmingham Rep from February 6-21. For tickets ring 0121 236 4455 or go to .
