Actress Carey Mulligan was forced to abandon her childhood dreams of a career in musical theatre, because she lacked the singing and dancing skills to become a star.

The Great Gatsby star admits she was desperate to appear in lively musical shows as a youngster, but she soon realised she didn't have the talent to make it in the industry and instead decided to focus on acting.

She tells the Bbc, "I wanted to be a musical theatre actress, but I wasn't really a strong enough singer or dancer so I stuck to the acting."

However, she was able to realise another childhood ambition by starring in the new play Skylight at London's Wyndham's Theatre.

She explains, "This theatre was one I think that I came to when I was 11 years old for the first time, and had been to so many things at this theatre. And then when the idea of this (Skylight) came along and the thought that we were going to do it in the West End, this was the ideal place to put it on."