Mia McKenna-Bruce: Kent actor says Bafta win was a surprise

Mia McKenna-Bruce won the only Bafta award chosen by the public

A 26-year-old Kent actor has taken home the EE Rising Star Award at the Baftas.

Mia McKenna-Bruce won the only Bafta award chosen by the public on Sunday for her role as Tara in Molly Manning Walker's How to Have Sex.

Miss McKenna-Bruce said the win was a "complete surprise" and she wanted to "hug every single person" who voted for her to win.

The actor was nominated alongside Phoebe Dynevor, Ayo Edebiri, Jacob Elordi and Sophie Wilde.

Miss McKenna-Bruce won for her role in How to Have Sex, a coming-of-age drama about sexual consent set during a post-GCSEs holiday in Malia on the Greek island of Crete.

She said she hoped the win would keep "conversations going" around the film.

'Absolutely petrified'

Miss McKenna-Bruce said taking to the stage of Royal Festival Hall, London, to accept her award "just blew my mind".

Holding her first Bafta award, Miss McKenna-Bruce thanked her family for believing in her from a young age.

"I can't ever repay you, but maybe this is a start."

The actor told BBC Radio Kent: "I was absolutely petrified, having to get up and talk in front of the likes of Christopher Nolan."

She told the BBC how during her first acting job in Billy Elliot at the age of eight, her dad would "stand at the back of the theatre and watch the show" most days.

Miss McKenna-Bruce said she would be celebrating the win with her family and a takeaway.

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].