Her death has had a huge effect on me. It felt like a big hole appeared on my left side - apparently your left side is your mother - which I thought could never be filled. Now I think what you have to do is fill it with yourself because your mother is part of you. I'm easing into that space, using it and being comforted by it.

E. Staunton attended La Sainte Union Convent School an all-girls Catholic school on the edge of Hampstead Heath from years 11 to 17. Staunton then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and in 1982 moved on to the National Theatre.

She drew critical acclaim as Vera Drake earning her a Best Actress Oscar nomination and a number of wins including the BAFTA and Venice Film Festival Awards for best actress in a leading role. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the British comedy television series Up the Garden Path the Harry Potter film series (in which Imelda Staunton plays Professor Dolores Jane Umbridge) and Vera Drake.