Ashley Jensen Landed Betty Role on Holiday

Saturday 21st November 2009 - 06:30:40

Jensen returns to work - plus the lowdown on her Ugly Betty role

Former Ugly Betty actress Ashley Jensen returned to work just three weeks after giving birth.

The star and her actor husband Terence Beesley welcomed son Francis Jonathan Beesley on 20 October (09) - but busy Jensen was soon back on the set of hit U.S. show Accidentally on Purpose.

But thankfully, the 40 year old only works a few days a week - so stillhas plenty of time to bond with the latest addition to her family.

She says, "I had a week off before he was born, three weeks off after he was born, and then I went back to work last week. We rehearse on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I only have to work on Thursday if I have any pre-recorded scenes. Then, on Friday, we shoot it in front of a studio audience. I've got a dressing room so I can take my little boy in with me".

We actually came out here on holiday, to do a Californian road trip

And Jensen is slowly getting used to first-time motherhood "To be honest, I'm stumbling from day to day at the moment. Just getting to grips with feeding and not sleeping. It's all about routine, and it's very all-consuming".

Ashley Jensen was stunned to land her role in Ugly Betty - she only auditioned for the part because she was on vacation in Los Angeles.

The new mum played designer Christina McKinney on the hit U.S. show - but Jensen admits it was only a happy coincidence that saw her screen-testfor the series.

She says. "We actually came out here on holiday, to do a Californian road trip. (Husband) Terry said I should mention to my agent that I was going to be in L.A. I didn't think anything would ever come of it.

I was happy in London and didn't feel this burning desire to crack Hollywood or anything. But, before I knew it, my agent was putting me up for jobs.

"At first, I was like, 'Hang on, I'm on holiday!' So we did our road trip around Vegas and Napa Valley, then I decided to hang around for pilot season, and that was it I got Ugly Betty. And I'm still here".