Zoe Lucker is known for being bitchy on screen as Tanya Tucker in Footballers’ Wives but she has revealed a softer side.

Lucker has said to Mirror.co.uk that her life has changed so much in the last couple of years.
Now she spends most of her time with her fiancé Jim Herbert and their baby daughter Lilly.

Lucker says that her priorities in life have changed and now gone are the nights out with girls and the pressure involved with being in the entertainment industry doesn’t bother her as much now.

Lucker says

“My life used to be quite intense,”

“When I was working on Footballers’ Wives I was totally focused and didn’t do much to relax. I kind of went into myself and felt I needed to concentrate on work.”

“And when I had a break I was out and about all the time, having lunch with friends or heading down to the pub with my mates.”

“But that has all changed – I’m living in domestic bliss now!”

“I used to live in north London where everything was all-go,”

“But we’ve moved out to our gorgeous home in Surrey – and we even bought a dog, a Labrador called Maggie. It’s a world away from where I was a couple of years ago. I’m even cooking proper mum-things like lasagne and chilli!”

“Before I had Lilly I was so pre-occupied with work and what people thought about me,” she says. “I put myself under a lot of pressure and worried about always doing well and what the next job would be. Now my life is focused around my gorgeous family. I’m so happy.”

Lucker says that she was gutted to be voted off of Strictly Come Dancing after a dance-off with The Bill star Ali Bastian, but Lucker was quick to find the positive in it.

“It was really sad to be out and to suddenly have that gap where before I was rehearsing non-stop,”

“But it also meant I’d get to spend more time with Lilly which I was excited about. Earlier in my career leaving something so soon would have felt like a bigger knock, but I coped with it fine.”

“And in the couple of days after I was voted out, lots of exciting things started happening with Lilly. She took her first proper, strong steps and she suddenly grew teeth. She had toddled about for one or two steps before, but this was proper walking.”

“And she’d had these two little rabbit teeth for ages but we were so happy she suddenly got more!”

“It really cheered me up so I couldn’t get too worried about Strictly.” Being a good mum has been Zoë’s top priority – especially in the first few months after Lilly was born in September 2008.”

“I put on three stone during my pregnancy,” she says, “and it took quite a while to get back to my original shape.”

“But I wasn’t in a rush to lose the weight because I had so much else to think about – like how to be a mum. That was much more important to me.”

“I enjoyed being pregnant so much I didn’t want to be self-conscious about my body. I wasn’t smoking or drinking and it was liberating not to have to worry about everything I ate.”

“And I felt even more amazing when Lilly finally arrived – it’s an overwhelming experience, just how much you can love your child. Then you just have to get on with it.”

“It was difficult to go back to work, but you have to push yourself and remember it’s probably harder for you than for the baby.”

“We’ve got our parents who help out if I’m out at meetings in London, and our nanny is fantastic.”

The Strictly tour started last night but Lucker has said that childcare will not be a problem for her this time as Jim and Lily will be coming with her.

“It wouldn’t have been an option otherwise,” she says. “I couldn’t have spent that much time away from Lilly or Jim. He is self-employed so luckily he was able to take a bit of time off.”

When the tour ends Lucker plans to go back to acting or presenting.

“After I finished Holby Blue two years ago I tried out a bit of presenting,”

“I enjoyed it but drama is my first love, my profession. I opted for presenting when I was pregnant because I didn’t feel right playing someone who wasn’t pregnant.”

“I like to feel comfortable in my own skin when I’m playing a part, so I like to feel physically like the character.”

“With presenting I got to meet interesting people and visit some amazing places. Every day you get to do something new and the experience was fantastic.”

But unlike lot’s of other actors Lucker doesn’t think that soaps are the best place to be.

“As an actress getting a role in the soaps would be great,” she says. “I did a few episodes on Corrie years ago and I loved it. I love the show and Easties is fab too. But the hours would probably be too much for me. It’s so intense, and with Lilly still so young I don’t think I could have that much time away from her and Jim.”

The couple have been engaged since before Lilly was born have not yet set a date for the wedding.

Lucker says “We talk about it all the time,”

“But we haven’t been able to make any firm plans because things just keep coming up and we want it to be perfect.”

“There are so many things to plan we just haven’t got round to it – do we get married in a church, where will we have the party?”

Another thing that needs to be decided is whether or not she should let a glossy magazine photo the wedding.

“I don’t think we’d be up for that,”

“A lot of my close friends work in TV so I’ll have all of them as guests.”

“But I would hate for a photoshoot to somehow take over the whole day. Some people hate having their pictures taken so I wouldn’t want my friends and family feeling on edge.”

“But I guess you should never say never.”

Lucker also hopes to have more children.

“I was never sure how many kids I’d like,”

“But the more I see Lilly playing with other children, the more I think I’d love a little brother or sister for her.”

“She’s a very social child and I’d love her to have another little one for company all the time.”

“Even when I was so busy working in the past, I always knew the one thing I really wanted was to fall in love and have a family.”

“That’s what I’m doing now and it’s just as amazing as I hoped.”.