THE actress playing Christine Keeler in the new TV drama about the Profumo affair said she felt “a huge responsibility” to do the role justice.

Sophie Cookson, from Haywards Heath, stars as the 19-year-old showgirl and aspiring model in the BBC’s The Trial Of Christine Keeler, which started on Sunday.

The six-part series tells the story of the 1960s Profumo political scandal from Keeler’s perspective.

Sophie has said she wanted the audience to connect with her portrayal of the young woman in a way the public did not in real life.

She said: “I feel a huge amount of responsibility to do Christine justice.

“Christine herself was so determined that she did not ever want to be portrayed as a victim and so that was the most important thing for me.

“There was a huge distance between Christine and the public. There were women chasing her down the street, beating her car with their handbags and shouting ‘whore’, and so it was very important for the creative team to make sure that our Christine was accessible.”

The drama tells the notorious story of the affair between John Profumo, a politician in Harold Macmillan’s Conservative government, and the 19-year-old Christine.

The country was scandalised when it was revealed she was also having an affair with a Soviet naval attaché, a potential threat to national security.

Sophie said the story was an important one to tell because Christine Keeler was not allowed a voice.

She said: “There were so many men who were imposing their views and opinions on to her and they decided who she was – Christine never had the opportunity to truly give her side of the story.”

The 29-year-old actress is best known for her role as secret agent Roxy Morton in the Kingsman movies.

The Trial Of Christine Keeler continues on BBC One this Sunday at 9pm.