Tina Malone beams as she introduces the members of her self-named drama school at Manchester's Hotel Brooklyn. The former Shameless star is determined to give the diverse group of young actors the best start to their drama careers, sharing her own experiences after 30-odd eventful years in showbiz.
And she's got a big goal in mind to do just that. She's aiming to raise enough funds on a crowdfunder to take them all to perform off Broadway in New York.
She needs to raise £70,000 and she knows it's a massive target - but Tina knows all about defying expectations. Tina says: "I know what it's like to beat the odds. I got a gastric band ten years ago and I know people said: "oh bless her she thinks she can be a size 8" - but you know what? I got to a size 6.
