Anisha Jayakody

Born in Glasgow to Sri Lankan parents, Anisha has been horse-mad from a very young age.

Confident and well-qualified, when Anisha heard Alistair was looking to sell his practice she spotted an opportunity to boost her veterinary career. She convinced him to form a partnership with her rather than sell up completely.

Straight-talking and determined, sometimes Anisha's self-assurance can rub people up the wrong way.

• Likes - Horses, achieving her goals
• Dislikes - Being patient, making mistakes

Anisha is highly ambitious and makes no apologies for it. A keen businesswoman, and an excellent vet, she is willing to do whatever it takes to make a success of the practice with Alistair. Her forthright nature can get people’s backs up at times, but I think she’s a sensitive soul at heart and she’s at her absolute best when she’s out with her beloved horses.

Anneika grew up listening to The Archers and was thrilled when she got the call to join the cast. The second eldest of six, she was brought up in Glasgow where she studied Acting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Since graduating she was worked with theatre companies such as National Theatre, RSC, Birmingham Rep, Shakespeare’s Globe, Regents Park Open Air Theatre and her most recent television work includes Ordinary Lies, Line of Duty, Apple Tree Yard and Silent Witness.

Book - This changes all the time but I love The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. It’s about a boy called Gogol, born in America to Bengali immigrants. It follows him from childhood into adulthood and it deals beautifully with his struggle to reconcile the life he wants with the expectations of his parents.

Film - Thelma and Louise. I first saw it when I was in high school and we had to watch it in installments. I was completely hooked. It’s a brilliant story and I love the women in it.

Actor - I had a bit of an obsession with Judy Garland when I was a child, that has never quite left me. When it comes to her, I am a total super fan.

Live in an old farmhouse in the Italian countryside with a garden full of fruit trees.