Walters speaks at literary festival

8:17pm Saturday 11th October 2008

One of Britain's most treasured actresses Julie Walters spoke about the highs and lows of her career at the Cheltenham Literature Festival.

Walters appeared at the event to talk about her new autobiography That's Another Story which includes some painful tales from her past, including being molested by a stranger at the age of 10.

The book reveals how Walter's strict convent school education and her mother's desire to force the Brummie accent out of her shaped her life.

The Cheltenham Literature Festival was opened on Friday by Prime Minister Gordon Brown who talked about the current global economic problems as well as plugging his forthcoming book on wartime courage.

The 10-day event, now in its 59th year, will see political figures, writers, actors and comedians take part in more than 350 events across 20 different venues.

This year's line-up boasts the likes of actor and director Sir Richard Attenborough, former deputy prime minister John Prescott and comedienne Dawn French.

More than 88,000 tickets sold in advance of the popular event, which will also see Nobel prize-winning author Toni Morrison, TV presenter Richard Madeley and former London mayor Ken Livingstone take the stage.