Julie Walters finds it ''therapeutic'' throwing her husband's Pig World magazines out.

The 65-year-old actress - who has been married to farmer Grant since 1997 - loves to set herself achievable tasks if she is having a bad day and one of her favourite simple chores to do is chucking the animal interest publications in the recycling bin.

She said: ''If I'm having a bad day, I'll think, 'Why didn't I feel good about today?' And it's usually because things haven't worked out or I haven't achieved anything.

''So I tell myself, 'It's just one of those days.' And give myself something I can achieve, even if it's just replying to some mail or sorting out the recycling.

''That's a great task, actually; getting rid of all Grant's Pig World magazines is quite therapeutic.''

However, the 'Indian Summers' star insists she isn't afraid of difficult work and has made sure she has faced up to tough tasks rather than shy away from them.

She added to Stylist magazine: ''You have to be frightened in order to be brave.

''I've always been an anxious person and would test that by putting myself in difficult situations, like going on stage.

''If you avoid the thing you're frightened of, you spend more time feeling anxious and avoiding it than if you just face it and go, 'Oh, the world isn't going to fall down.' ''