What were your expectations before going into the house?
Naïvely I thought it was going to be fun and actually easy. I had read all of Jane Austen's works and was very interested to find out how the reality matched my own romantic views. I really hadn't given too much thought to the basic living conditions and it turned out to be a lot more stressful than I was expecting. It may look and sound romantic in books and films but living it is another matter!

How well do you think you were suited to the Regency era?
Not as well as I was expecting. I loved the corset, clothes, having my hair dressed for the evenings, being waited on and dressed (although sometimes you just wanted to do things for yourself - make a cup of tea, change clothes quickly and in private). I didn't realise how restrictive it was to be a woman in those times physically, emotionally and mentally. One of the things that stays in my head is that women were not allowed to show any signs of emotion, as written in our journal outlining Regency etiquette, "a woman should not be seen to be cold or hot, up-set or too happy". I remember being constantly told off for running both in and out side the house and not being one of the ladies allowed to ride, I found the lack of exercise really frustrating.

Who did you fancy most in the house?
Initially, John Everett.

What was your best time?
Dressing up as a man and going with Victoria to the bare knuckle fight and the guys not seeing us or knowing we were there. But also running across the fields in the rain on the way back from the picnic at the castle because we were late for dinner - there was a real sense of freedom. Swimming in the river with the girls dressed just in our chemises. At the end of the very first week, sitting on chairs on the lawn looking back at the house at the most beautiful fire-works display whilst drinking champagne, with footmen serving us and realising that it was all put on for us, very weird and quite humbling.

What was your worst time?
Arriving on the first day and being shown into Mrs Hammonds room where the maids helped her take her coat and gloves off and standing there waiting for them to help me, which didn't happen, and feeling really stupid and wondering why I didn't just taken them off myself? Also my dress catching alight at the Masked ball and Jeremy trying to drag me to the river to put it out, but eventually I just laid on the ground and rolled about till it went out. Looking back it was also very funny especially as we performed the pageant straight after and I was a complete mess, burnt all up the back with black soot evening gloves.

Do you have any regrets?
None really as everything that I said and did was relevant to what was happening, and how I was feeling at the time.

What annoyed you most in the house?
The double standards between men and women, i.e. being told when to go to bed and that you can't drink strong alcohol (sounds so silly now). Waiting for the maids to dress Mrs Hammond before I could get dressed in the morning and again for dinner, eventually I worked out how to get my own corset, petticoat and dress on so that all I need was a few buttons done up at the back and my hair put up.

What did you like / dislike most about dating in Regency times?
I hated being told by my Chaperone to flirt and get the attention of the gentlemen - there was even a time when she paraded me around the garden so the new gentleman would see me first out of all the ladies. I liked the relaxed feeling of getting to know someone without any pressure, as you know you are going to be in the guys' company for the next nine weeks - sneaky conversations with the guys, without chaperones noticing.

Do you think your experience in the house has changed you?
Not really, but I am now thankful for the choices that I have in my life that women in the 19th Century didn't have.

What did you miss from the 21st Century?
Friends and family, music, showers, soap, deodorant, sanitary products, nail files, contact lenses, my skates, freedom, and lack of light in the evenings. Oh and Cheese!

Who will you keep in touch with?
I would like to think most people, but definitely Jeremy, Francesca, Tania, Victoria, John, Lady D and Mrs Enright.

What are you doing now?
Working on a few projects for next year… sorting my career out.

What would you have liked to see happen to your Regency personae?
To have met the man of my dreams...

If you were to do it again what would you do differently?
I would have taken more risks and not been so worried about being asked to leave. And I would have gotten to know Lady D and Mrs Enright earlier on. I really got to know them both in the last three weeks and realised they both have a great sense of humour and were definitely up for a laugh.

Are you still single?
No

Do you treat the opposite sex any differently since leaving the house?
I don't think so.

Is there anything else interesting about your experiences?
I am surprised at how quickly I forgot about technology e.g. mobile phones, the Internet, television and that I didn't miss them at all. It was really nice to spend the day talking to people, playing games and just socialising.

I did envision more arguments between the younger girls, but this never really happened and as a unit we all got on incredibly well, lending each other garments, jewellery and not really caring who had what social status and reconciling any misunderstand immediately and being very supportive.