A BOLTON actress has been named as one of the hottest properties in the industry by the prestigious BAFTA organisation.

Ruth Madeley has been listed among a select group of talented newcomers who make up the BAFTA Breakthrough Brits list.

The list identifies people breaking into film, television and games who are tipped for future stardom - and offers them guidance and mentoring to help further their careers.

This is not the first time that Westhoughton-born Ruth, aged 30, has been recognised by BAFTA.

She was nominated in the prestigious best actress category at May’s television awards for her performance in BBC Three drama Don’t Take My Baby - which charted a disabled couple’s fight to keep their newborn baby.

Ruth uses a wheelchair herself after being born with spina bifida and scoliosis.

Speaking about being named in the Breakthrough Brits list, she said: “I feel absolutely honoured and so excited to be named in this list. It is amazing.

“I had to sign a confidentiality agreement meaning I couldn’t tell people until it was announced, which was torture because I am so excited, but now I can finally tell them all.”

She added: “Being nominated for a BAFTA in May was an incredible experience and so for this to follow just makes me feel really blessed and really lucky.”

Ruth is currently starring in ITV crime drama The Level, which is the first role where she has not been cast as a ‘disability specific’ character.

She said: “That was really big for me. I want to be seen as an actress first and someone who uses a wheelchair second.

“But I am also really pleased and proud to see more people with disabilities getting roles and if I have inspired just one person then I will be over the moon.”

The 30-year-old, who still lives in Westhoughton with her boyfriend and is a former pupil of St James in Daisy Hill, said that navigating the already tricky route into acting has been made more difficult by her disability.

She said: “I am a strong believer that you end up where you are supposed to be – but it has certainly taken a lot of hard work.

“Acting is not always the most pleasant of industries and, of course, you have to get used to a lot of rejection - that is something that has been even more of an issue for me as a wheelchair user, so my role in The Level, where my disability was of no relevance to the character was just massive for me.”

“Hopefully working with BAFTA will open up more roles which are not specifically related to disability.”

And despite her rise to stardom, Ruth says she has no plans to leave Bolton or to stop watching her beloved Wanderers.

She said: “Bolton will always be my home. My family are all here and none of this would have happened without them. I am very lucky.

“I have also had a season-ticket for Wanderers for the past 12 years and I’m not giving that up.”