Inside the life of Shetland star Alison O’Donnell off-screen after hit BBC drama’s highly anticipated return

ALISON O'Donnell is champion known for her portrayal of Detective Sergeant Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh connected Shetland.

What audiences don't realise is that the histrion initially had plans for a vocation successful planetary law.

It was the Scottish woman's passionateness for acting that yet led her to swap the courtroom for the stage.

Her vocation arsenic an histrion began successful the theatre, wherever she started disconnected by playing roles successful productions specified arsenic Feel the Force and Holby City.

But it was her relation successful the play My Romantic History astatine the Edinburgh Fringe that changed everything for her - some professionally and personally.

During the production, she met her partner, playwright DC Jackson, who she present has 2 children with.

Family beingness has been much analyzable for Alison than the mean person, arsenic she has had to equilibrium motherhood with filming Shetland.

When she was expecting her 2nd child, the show’s costume decorator went to large lengths to conceal her increasing babe bump, utilizing pleated shirts and oversized folders to support her gestation nether wraps.

She recalled however cleverly the wardrobe squad handled it, telling the Scotsman: "The costume decorator is brilliant.

"By the extremity of filming I was six months large and beauteous large truthful I commencement sitting down a lot, oregon I'm holding a folder. Classic stuff."

After having her kids, Alison admitted that motherhood brought her a newfound happiness that took her by surprise.

"I person never, ever been this happy," she gushed. "I didn't cognize it was imaginable to beryllium this happy.

"I'm not idiosyncratic who's ever had this ambition to beryllium a mother, but I knew I wanted to springiness it a wee go, truthful I've amazed myself."

Although she present feels precise self-assured astir her beingness choices, this wasn't ever the lawsuit for Alison.

The BBC prima has admitted that successful her twenties she felt similar she was perpetually trying to reinvent herself, and was uncertain of what absorption to instrumentality successful life.

She acknowledgment her narration with Daniel for giving her a consciousness of stability.

Alison has described his emotion arsenic "selfless and undemanding", adding that she believes she wouldn't person got the relation successful Shetland without his enactment gathering her confidence.

Shetland airs connected BBC One connected Wednesday astatine 9pm