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This interview ties in with episode 3

Trudi and Richard are in a constant state of chaos; they and their three young girls are living between two houses and money is very tight.

The spontaneous first throes of passion and romance are slowly ebbing away from their relationship but Trudi is keen to take her relationship with Richard to the next level.

Trudi has been badly burnt in the past, not least by her lying husband, who betrayed her by pretending to perish in the 9/11 attacks in New York and planned, with his American lover, to con Trudi out of a third of her compensation money.

However, Trudi feels that Richard is completely different and is keen to tie the knot and make their commitment permanent.

But it's not long before Trudi's suspicions are raised and she starts to question whether Richard really is the man she thinks he is and if he really is the one for her…

Sharon Small reveals all about Trudi trying to find the romance again, the magic of Mistresses, and baking!

Where is Trudi at the start of this new series?

Over a year has passed when we join Trudi and Richard. Trudi chose to stay with Richard after giving up her husband, Paul, to the police. With Paul in prison, Trudi has had to give the 9/11 fund money back so they're pretty broke.

Trudi is particularly frustrated at having to juggle her life between the two houses, and their love life is becoming a bit complacent and lacking in romance. Trudi wants to move forward in the relationship and for them to make a proper commitment to live together and get married.

How does Trudi deal with their money issues?

At the moment they are completely dependent on Richard for money so Trudi decides to take things into her own hands.

The only thing she feels she has a real talent for is making cakes. The local deli, owned by the very handsome Lucas, doesn't sell any cakes or sweet things. So Trudi tries to persuade Lucas to sell some of her cakes, he agrees and soon he becomes a really good friend to Trudi when things get a bit tough.

Are you a good cook in real life?

I'm not as good as Trudi. I'm a much more uptight cook than Trudi! I don't relax and enjoy the experience and then I'm sure I just make anyone feel very uptight when they're eating. I'll always be saying 'I should have put more salt in that' or 'next time it'll be better, I'll do this', I can't seem to just let people enjoy it!

How does Trudi's and Richard's relationship develop throughout the series?

Trudi's idea of moving forward and commitment is to become a proper family, and the way to do that is to both get their divorces and get married.

Trudi wants to make it all official and gets a real shock when that's not where Richard's at at all.

Then, as we progress Trudi starts to understand why Richard isn't very keen on her plans. It's because he hasn't been completely honest with her about how his marriage broke down and where his wife is.

Why does Trudi become suspicious of Richard?

Trudi sees Richard with another woman and accidentally discovers he's paid out £3,000, which is a vast amount of money to them right now. When she confronts Richard he proffers an engagement ring, Trudi is relieved and just assumes that the money was for the ring.

However Trudi finds out that this is not the case and goes on to make a shocking discovery…

Which scenes have been the best to film during this series?

I love doing scenes with the other girls because we know each other so well now and there's a lovely relaxed feel to it. We're able to do a bit of improvisation, which is great as it just happens quite naturally and some of it has even been kept in the final cut.

I enjoy playing at being a fantastic cook. But it has to be the scenes with Patrick's and Trudi's family that are my favourite because they feel like slices of real life and all the chaos that comes with having three girls.

The sports day scenes in the new series were also loads of fun, except it was supposed to be warm and sunny and it felt like the coldest day in history!

Why do you think Mistresses is so popular?

There aren't many British dramas that are female-led; it's about friendship, complicated love lives and it had a nice sexy edge to it with a bit of glamour.

The wonderful thing about series one was how it's popularity snowballed; it really gathered momentum. Apparently you strive to get the 'water cooler' moment and I think that's what happened with the first series of Mistresses.