Rachael Stirling was "s*** scared" of her mother, Dame Diana Rigg.

The 47-year-old actress revealed that her famous mother tried to discourage her from following in her acting footsteps and was disapproving of her work.

Speaking on Gyles Brandreth's 'Rosebud' podcast, Rachael said: "I was s*** scared of her really.

"She was disapproving and kind of dismissive of my work... it wasn't great.

"She was quite white-knuckled about holding on to the reins and not letting me do it [acting].

"She sort of ring-fenced her profession. And I was absolutely not allowed to go to drama school, although she did."

Rachael - who has starred in projects such as 'Doctor Who', 'Tipping The Velvet' and 'The Bletchley Circle' - also hinted that her mother could have been jealous of Rachael's youth.

She explained: "'I looked exactly like her, which was annoying when she was ageing."

Meanwhile, Rachael - who tied the knot with Elbow frontman Guy Garvey in 2016 after a year of dating - previously revealed her mother shared a special bond with her husband, particularly during the final months of her life in 2020.

She told The Times: "Guy was very close to my mother. When we brought her home to die in 2020, he was so generous and welcoming, and I think that my mum fell in love with him a little bit.

"When the first lockdown lifted and he was able to go back to his studio, she loved the idea of him going off to create.

"He'd go into her bedroom to say goodbye each morning and she'd say, 'I shroud you in the cloak of inspiration. May the gods of poetry visit you'."

Dame Diana was best known for her roles as Emma Peel in the TV series 'The Avengers (1965-1968)' and Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'.

In her later years, she starred as Olenna Tyrell in TV series Game of Thrones from 2013 to 2017.

She passed away in 2020 at the age of 82.