Nicola Coughlan has revealed that she 'struggled to make ends meet' before landing her role in Derry Girls.
The 35-year-old actress, who plays Clare in the side-splitting Channel 4 comedy series, admitted that she struggled both financially and mentally throughout her twenties.
The blonde beauty, who also stars as Penelope Featherington in the hit Netflix series Bridgerton, also revealed that she still struggles with money worries due to her past debt.
"The fear of having nothing is still there," Nicola confessed.
"I was in debt with student loans, I was working minimum wage and the rent was so high.
"I only got Derry Girls five years ago so it's not that long since I've been able to go and buy a coffee and not have a panic attack."
The Galway-born actress went on: "So I reckon I'll have a few more years of thinking 'I hope I have some money in my bank account'."
Despite her worries, Nicola is grateful that she's been through what she has, because it now means that she appreciates having a stable income more than ever.
The Derry Girls star told the RTE Guide: "You know what it's like not to have all those things and you know how hard you've worked to get there.
"So for me to even be on a set is a privilege, to get an audition is a privilege because for years I couldn't even get in an audition room."
Although the talented actress has amassed a huge level of fame - becoming a household name thanks to Bridgerton - she still can't help but suffer from imposter syndrome.
"I still wonder, 'How did this happen?' Even at the BAFTAS, I was wondering 'Why am I in the room with all these people," she told.
"So I do feel like I've won a competition but that's something that a lot of people in the industry grapple with, women more than men I believe."
Nicola previously joked that being famous makes her feel like 'a dog on the Tube'.
The Irish actress explained that people stare at her wherever she goes now that she stars in the Netflix hit Bridgerton - which became the streaming platform's biggest show ever with 80 million people tuning in.
She told Elle UK : "Being famous is like being a dog on the Tube. It’s exactly the same energy. When you get on, everyone looks at you.
"Some people are so smiley, while some are afraid of you and don’t want to go near. Some people touch you without asking. I can still do the things I want to do, obviously, but it is different.
"I went to the pub with my friend a while back and it was like being an animal at the zoo. People just watching and looking. And I remember one time I was taking my Invisalign out, and this person was staring me right in the eyes, which was quite weird. But, honestly, most people are so, so lovely."
