Anna arrived on our screens in 1992, with a role in Emmerdale, but it was in Brookside one year later that she really made her name.
Playing Beth Jordache at the tender age of 17, she was soon involved with the soap's most controversial storylines including child abuse, murder and that lesbian kiss. She left the soap in 1995 in search of a film career, but says it wasn't all plain sailing.
"I hadn't gone to drama school. I was from a middle-class background and I was from a soap. I could tell that people were looking down at me. So I thought, right, I'm gonna prove you lot wrong."
The Rochdale-born actress has signed up for all three movies in the Goal! trilogy and says she's going to take more of an interest in football in the future.
"We're shooting in Madrid next and I'm going to watch my very first football match at Real Madrid. I think I should really," she says with an embarrassed grin. "My excuse is that my character isn't interested in football anyway."
Anna says the reason she was drawn to a football movie in the first place was because it gave her a chance to tackle the Tyneside accent.
"I've always wanted to try and use the Geordie accent and study it," she says.
"I hope it's come out OK. It's a lovely accent to work with because it's so tuneful and fun. You can tell a great story with just the accent alone. I do think this was a really nice story anyway, it flowed very well and has endearing, sympathetic and tangible characters that all linked together in a believable way. It seemed different from other sports movies I've seen."
With the remaining Goal! movies lined up, plus a further two new films, Irish Jam and Niagara Motel, Anna isn't about to take things easy. But though she's busier than ever on the work front, it's clear motherhood is her favourite role so far.
"It's fantastic, she's so cute," beams Anna. "And David and I have talked about what roles to take so that one of us is always with her. It's great to be breastfeeding at the moment because I can take her anywhere. She's very portable - and very portly. She loves her grub - like her mum!"
