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Inside the life of Shetland star Alison O’Donnell off-screen after hit BBC drama’s highly anticipated return
The actress has revealed the way one of her pregnancies was hidden on-screen
ALISON O'Donnell is best known for her portrayal of Detective Sergeant Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh on Shetland.
What audiences don't realise is that the actress initially had plans for a career in international law.
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It was the Scottish woman's passion for acting that eventually led her to swap the courtroom for the stage.
Her career as an actor began in the theatre, where she started off by playing roles in productions such as Feel the Force and Holby City.
But it was her role in the play My Romantic History at the Edinburgh Fringe that changed everything for her - both professionally and personally.
During the production, she met her partner, playwright DC Jackson, who she now has two children with.
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Family life has been more complicated for Alison than the average person, as she has had to balance motherhood with filming Shetland.
When she was expecting her second child, the show’s costume designer went to great lengths to conceal her growing baby bump, using pleated shirts and oversized folders to keep her pregnancy under wraps.
She recalled how cleverly the wardrobe team handled it, telling the Scotsman: "The costume designer is brilliant.
"By the end of filming I was six months pregnant and pretty big so I start sitting down a lot, or I'm holding a folder. Classic stuff."
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After having her kids, Alison admitted that motherhood brought her a newfound happiness that took her by surprise.
"I have never, ever been this happy," she gushed. "I didn't know it was possible to be this happy.
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"I'm not somebody who's always had this ambition to be a mother, but I knew I wanted to give it a wee go, so I've surprised myself."
Although she now feels very self-assured about her life choices, this wasn't always the case for Alison.
The BBC star has admitted that in her twenties she felt like she was constantly trying to reinvent herself, and was uncertain of what direction to take in life.
She thanks her relationship with Daniel for giving her a sense of stability.
Alison has described his love as "selfless and undemanding", adding that she believes she wouldn't have got the role in Shetland without his support building her confidence.
Shetland airs on BBC One on Wednesday at 9pm
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