She was one of the most recognizable faces on British television in the 1990s and 2000s.
But Caroline Quentin said she now regrets taking on so many acting roles as letting her young children go to work has left a “hole” in her.
The 63-year-old actress said she felt she had to work as much as she could as she was the “breadwinner” but missed out on precious moments with her two children.
Ms. Quentin was in high demand when she met her now-husband Sam Farmer in 1998, who was working as a runner on the set of Men Behaving Badly.
A year later they had their now 24-year-old daughter Emily and in 2003 their 20-year-old son William.
She said she “grieved terribly” while she was away filming shows such as “Jonathan Creek,” “Blue Murder” and “Life Begins.”
Caroline Quentin – She was one of the most recognizable faces on British television in the 1990s and 2000s
Caroline with husband Sam Farmer and little Emily in 2000 at the christening of actor Martin Clunes' daughter
“God, I missed her. I mourned her terribly when I was gone. I think that's probably why I feel so bad about it, because it left a hole in me,” she told Good Housekeeping.
“People would say, 'Oh, they're young for such a short time,' and I wouldn't listen. 'I thought I knew better, but I didn't.'
Ms Quentin, who married Farmer in 2006, said she now regrets not turning down the jobs offered to her and will have to “live with it”.
Caroline Quentin was featured on the cover of the April issue of Good Housekeeping magazine
“I should have said no to work and yes to them, but because I was the breadwinner I thought I had to,” she said. “Well, I didn’t, did I? “But you can’t turn back time, you have to live with these things.”
Although Ms. Quentin and her daughter missed time with her in her early years, they are now very close, and Ms. Farmer has followed her mother into acting.
Ms Quentin, who was previously married to Paul Merton from 1990 to 1998, said the secret to her successful marriage to Farmer was constant communication.
“You have to talk, talk, talk.” “I pushed Sam to do this from day one because I can't stand sulking and silence,” she said.