This is a transcript of an interview between Tish and Lorraine Kelly on LK Live, 23rd May 2006. It's been edited a little for clarity.

LK - Now, in Holby, Diane's career is on the line after she covers up for a colleague's botched operation.

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LK - Well Patricia Potter, who plays Diane, joins me now. She's done it again, she's done it again, she's done it again with a man who turns out to be a complete rotter.

PP - [laughs]

LK - She's got this kind of thing about picking the wrong guys.

PP - Well she hasn't had a relationship with this one.

LK - Probably, in a way, in a way she fancies him, doesn't she?

PP - She is an idiot [laughs]. She is, she makes the worst choices.

LK - And a lovely, lovely woman I think. You know, I think there's a lot of you in her to be honest. I think so.

PP - Thank you very much. I like to try and think I make better choices in my life.

LK - I would think so.

PP - No, she's got a good heart, Diane, and she's very driven with her career and she desperately wants to do the right thing and she's just, she's messed up the rest of her life so dramatically that now there's a chance her career may be stuffed as well, by Nick Jordan, she's really, absolutely clawing for ideas.

LK - Cos he's a swine and he botched an operation.

PP - A swine!

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LK - ...and there he is, he's very good at playing baddies, isn't he?

PP - [laughs]

LK - Very good. Now, you know, he's kind of going 'yep, it's nothing to do with me' and your character's going to carry the can.

PP - Absolutely.

LK - It's not good, and then of course the whole thing with Owen. That went all wrong as well. That was kind of sad.

PP - [sigh] Poor Diane.

LK - I know.

PP - It's awful.

LK - Why does she not just go away with Ric? Because what is all that? They have a very interesting relationship, you know.

PP - Well, because Ric's kind of messed her around. Quite a lot really. I mean, he's been sort of hot and cold and she's been hot and cold. They've got so much history now that you get into those situations where the history, actually, it's just too much to cope with and you're so far from a clean slate starting out in a relationship.

LK - Too much baggage.

PP - Too much baggage. Can't do it.

LK - Too much baggage, which is a shame. Do you still love it, cos you've been there a while now. It's what, 2002 wasn't it?

PP - I love it, yeah. I know, I can't believe it. It's gone so fast.

LK - I know, it's crazy.

PP - I know. Well, you were saying you've been here since...

LK - ...oh, since 1825 I've been here.

PP - [laughs]

LK - My bottom is super-glued to the sofa. I'm going nowhere.

PP - But it goes so fast, doesn't it? When you're enjoying yourself.

LK - Exactly, when you're having a good time, when everything you have - and you've got a great job and gosh, so have I - it does just zoom past and it's when you look back and think 'goodness me, it has been [?]'.

PP - It does, I know. Well they asked me if I wanted to do a fifth year and I said of course, I, you know, really don't feel that I want to leave now.

LK - No.

PP - But I said I'd love some time off if that's possible.

LK - Right, right.

PP - So they've managed and I was astonished when they said they were able to give me a little bit of time off. I'm now right in the middle of a three month break and it's bliss, I must say.

LK - Do you know, that's good. How lovely. And is it a break or are you going to tread the boards somewhere? Are you actually taking some time off?

PP - I'm just taking some time off...

LK - That's very wise.

PP - ...and then going back in July for another nine months or so, I think.

LK - Oh that's great and that'll keep the all enthusiasm and all of that there. You've just got that wee bit of time off.

PP - Yeah, yeah. Exactly.

LK - Cos it is, it is pretty full on, isn't it?

PP - I know. I'm having time to paint the house. Furiously [laughs].

LK - Right, that's really good. Now your partner, has he got anything to do with acting? Is he, you know...

PP - No, none whatsoever, he's a doctor.

LK - Is he?!

PP - Yeah.

LK - Oh handy! Cos you could...

PP - I know, well we met on Holby.

LK - Did you?

PP - Yes.

LK - What, was he an advisor or something?

PP - He was an advisor. He was advising Art Malik. He's an anaesthetist...

LK - Oh fantastic, that's really good.

PP - ...and yeah, he came on set and 'hello!'. It was nice.

LK - And there was a spark and there it was. Fantastic, and also if there's ever anything that's puzzling you can say 'oi!, What is this in the script?'.

PP - Yes, I mean he's brilliant, brilliant for that. He helps me with my lines all the time. I still don'tunderstand what any of it means, but at least I know how to say it properly...

LK - 'this is how you pronounce this madness', that's really good.

PP - ...but he's terribly unsympathetic though. If you're ill, going out with a doctor, it's a nightmare, 'oh you're fine, come on!'.

LK - Now, I salute you cos you did the marathon. Well done, congratulations.

PP - It was hideous. It was hideous.

LK - Well of course it is. It's ghastly.

PP - It's awful. I can't imagine anybody that says it's good fun.

LK - No it's not good fun at all. Why did you do that? What made you do it?

PP - Well, I did it for a couple of reasons. First of all because the Anthony Nolan Trust approached me and I didn't really know...

LK - Great charity. Great charity, very good.

PP - ...great charity. I didn't really know very much about it and my initial reaction was 'don't be ridiculous, look at me for god's sake!'. And they kind of persevered and so I though, well gosh, it's such a great charity and it would be a good thing to try to do.

LK - It is and we're saying it's ghastlly but it actually... the atmosphere, it's tremendous...

PP - [grimaces]

LK - ...and I think it's a wee bit like...

PP - I hated it! I absolutely loathed it!

LK - You've just done it there! But it's a little bit like... cos I've just done the Moonwalk on Saturday night and it's a wee bit like having a baby. You know it's... you forget the pain, the suffering, the tears and the tantrums and you just remember the end...

PP - Really.

LK - ...when you get your medal.

PP - I haven't got to that stage yet.

LK - It will fade, it will fade...

PP - I haven't reached the fading stage.

LK - ...and see next year, you'll just remember the good bits. So you might be doing it again, you never can tell. You'd a brilliant time, what were you...

PP - I really, I sincerely hope not. It was awful.

LK - ...you were just over four and a half hour hours or something? That's fantastic.

PP - No, no, well, just under five hours.

LK - That's fantastic. That's really, really good.

PP - Yeah, we got a sudden sprint on at the end because we saw Big Ben. My mum and dad came up from Kent.

LK - Excellent.

PP - My mother had written my name on a sheet and hung it over the barrier...

LK - Excellent.

PP - ...on Embankment and so that kind of gave us a bit of a... burst into tears when we saw and then we saw Big Ben and we thought, if we really run now we can get in just under five hours.

LK - Well done.

PP - And then we both suffered horribly.

LK - I know, I know, but it's worth it. Fine, you'll be there, you'll be there next year. I bet you are. She's not believing me. We shall see you tonight in Holby. Thank you very much Patricia, it's lovely to see you and I know it's on Wednesday or Thursday in Scotland. I think it's Thursday this week.

PP - I think so.

LK - Yes, it's Thursday this week in Scotland, but thank you very much indeed.

PP - Thank you.