Georgina Bouzova has travelled a long way from her studies at the Sorbonne to soap opera stardom. Currently starring as Snow White at Croydon's Fairfield Halls, she chats to NICK RUTHERFORD.

GEORGINA Bouzova is a very active woman. Best known for her role as Ellen Zitek in Casualty - from which she is due to leave in a dramatic storyline at Christmas - she has also just appeared in the reality TV show Strictly Come Dancing.

In between mouthfuls of egg and cress sandwich, washed down by a cup of tea, she explains that she only moved to her new home in south west London two days previously, after leaving Bristol where she was based for two and a half years while filming the medical soap.

In fact she hasn't even had time to unpack properly and admits that the little black number' she is wearing is the only item she had at hand and it has already served her for another magazine photo shoot the day before - and will have to do again this evening for a showbiz party.

Two days earlier, she also attended her first Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals - 12 hours in one day. She admits that one of the reasons she agreed to appear on the show was to keep fit.

So far so showbiz - but it could have been so very different. Georgina was born 30 years ago to a Czech father and English mother in Kingston upon Thames.

The family moved to Manchester when she was five. She returned to London to study law at Kings College London.

This was followed by a period studying French law at the Sorbonne in Paris - she is fluent in French as well as Czech, Italian and German - then back to London to train as a barrister at the Inns of Court. But later she decided a career as a lawyer was not for her.

"I'm quite an emotional person and I realized after a certain point that I wouldn't be able to stand up in court and defend someone that I believed wasn't innocent. I would become too emotionally involved," she explains.

So why acting? Is she from a showbiz family?

She laughs. "No, my dad had a furniture business - so I don't come from a legal background either. I always did plays when I was at university but didn't go into the acting profession.

"Acting is not in my family whatsoever, so I don't really know why I wanted to be an actress.

"My sister and I used to do shows for my parents, on the landing. I was really naughty at school and liked joking in class so I think I just turned that into my profession.

"After a one-year vocational course in law at the Inns of Court, I applied for pupillage but then knew that I wanted to be an actress. I did it the unconventional way because I was already 23 when I left Bar School and I thought that after another three years at drama school, I would be 26.

"So I just thought I want to get out there and work; so I did lots of student films and fringe theatre in London, commericals to pay my way and to the Actors' Centre in London, which you can go to if you have an Equity card, to do workshops.

"So that's how I learned really, although the best learning experience for me was being on Casualty for two-and-a half years.

"I had really great teachers in people like Simon MacCorkindale, Suzanne Packer and Susan Cookson, who were constantly teaching me, giving me advice and the benefit of their experience."

So now having had the benefit of those years on the show, she is ready to face an uncertain future.

After her month in Croydon - last time she was here she was dressed as an Easter bunny for an instore promotion at WH Smith six years ago - she has no firm plans - although she has an idea what she would like to do.

"My two ambitions in life were to play a nurse and a rock star. I've been a nurse, now I'm desperate to play a rock star."

One particular singer springs to mind, I tell her.

"Are you thinking Blondie? I'd love to play her - she's the ultimate rock chick!

"My dream would be to work at The Royal Court. I love that theatre. When I used to live in Chelsea I used to go there every week, on my own and sit there and watch a play.

"I love it because it has been at the forefront of putting on experimental theatre. It gets some really hard-hitting stuff. I love modern plays and new writers - I think we've got some really talented new writers in our country."

So that's the professional life - what about the personal one?

There's no man in it at the moment. "But maybe after Christmas and its cold and I need someone to cuddle up with, I'll start looking," she says with a smile.

She lists her vices as "M&S luxury fish pie, red wine and always being attracted to the wrong types of guys," and admits that the way to her heart is "a good curry".

Her favourite restaurant is Ma Goa in Putney. Guys, you know what to do - get ringing for a reservation.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to January 7. Fairfield Halls, Croydon. Call 020 8688 9291 or visit fairfield.co.uk