Actress Caitriona Balfe has revealed that she did not realise how popular the Outlander book series was before signing on to play lead character Claire Randall, a decision that took her away from a decade-long modelling career in Europe and the US. The Irish star, now 46, spoke to Tatler magazine about swapping the catwalks of Paris and Milan for a year filming in Scotland, a move she credits with launching her acting career and turning the show into a global hit.

Balfe was scouted as a model at 18 and worked in Paris, Milan, London and New York for around a decade before turning to acting, recalling that her lawyer questioned whether she was prepared to commit to a year filming in Scotland; that single year turned into 12. Since the final episodes of Outlander aired earlier this year, she has described finding it emotionally difficult to leave the cast behind, and is set to appear next as Mrs Dashwood in a new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, despite initially being reluctant to take on another costume drama.