Ashley sees life through the eyes of a child

SCOTTISH actress Ashley Jensen has told how the plight of a little girl in India and her real life role as a mother have led to her becoming an ambassador for Save the Children.

The star of Extras and Ugly Betty said that since giving birth to her son, Francis, two years ago, she has been deeply changed by motherhood and now views the world through the eyes of her child.

So when the Dumfriesshire actress was asked to take on an acting role to provide the voiceover of a six-year-old girl living in the slums of Delhi, she said she could not simply finish the role and walk away.

She admits she was so moved by the story of Chhutka that she wanted to do more to help the youngster and others like her.

She has now become an ambassador for Save the Children and has recently returned from what she called a “gut wrenching” week-long trip to the Sanjay Colony slum in Delhi, to see first-hand the vital work they do.

Jensen, 42, said: “Earlier this year I did a voice-over for Save the Children’s Born to Shine campaign, where I lent my voice to a six-year-old girl called Chhutka.

“This wee girl literally lived alone under a flyover and had a magnet which she took round the dumps every day looking for metal to sell for food.

“The plight of this little girl really got to me. What I found so touching and so overwhelming was that, despite her struggle and her living conditions, she was still able to smile.”

She added: “I’m a mum now and I know that children are children wherever they are – they get shy, they get silly and they get cheeky.

“Motherhood has given me new eyes – I view everything through my son’s. I am a changed person, definitely. And I know no child deserves the hardships that Chhutka goes through every day of the year.”

Save the Children invited Jensen, who was born in Annan, to become one of their ambassadors and asked her to visit the slum to raise awareness of the need for more health visitors in the country.

The LA-based actress admits that despite Beverly Hills and the slums of Delhi being “worlds apart” the mothers she met were no different from her in terms of wanting the best for their babies.

She said: “As a mum, I know that you want to do everything for your children and every mum wants that, whether they are in Beverly Hills or the slums in Delhi.

“When I had my son I remember the whole experience was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, and the only difference between me and the mums in Delhi was that I had with me doctors and nurses who knew what to do. It shouldn’t be like that.

“It costs £100 to train a health worker in India, and once these women are trained they are able to save thousands of lives.”