My life with a Hollywood actor

When Hollywood actor Matthew Marsden flew off his horse and got injured while filming in Malta six years ago he was catapulted into the life of Maltese ballerina Nadine Micallef, who is now his wife.

Ever since they met, she has been travelling the world, from set to set, with her husband and, last week, she joined him on the red carpet during the Los Angeles première of the blockbuster movie Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen.

"Being on the red carpet is all very surreal really. It's very exciting once you get there," 27-year-old Ms Marsden said from her home in Los Angeles the morning after the LA première.

Speaking in a gentle voice she explained how their story started with an injury - two actually.

British actor Mr Marsden was in Malta filming Helen of Troy, the US network mini-series, when he was thrown off a horse, got injured and needed rehabilitation through Pilates classes.

She had been in San Diego after she joined a ballet company but returned to her family in Qawra following an injury. So she too started Pilates to strengthen her muscles.

"My instructor told me there was someone he wanted me to meet and decided we would be a good match," she recalls.

After dating for two years, the couple got married and now they have a three-year-old son Finn - their "little monkey". She is eight months pregnant with their daughter who is expected to pop into the world in August.

Ms Marsden has temporarily hung her ballet shoes but once she gives birth, she plans to return to the dance studio.

In the meantime she supports her husband whose acting career is spiralling upwards. She joins him on set and teaches Pilates to cast members because she is also a qualified instructor.

Mr Marsden, 36, shot to fame in the late 1990s as mechanic Chris Collins in the UK series Coronation Street and moved to America eight years ago.

Throughout his career he specialised in playing special forces men in Hollywood action films, from Black Hawk Down with Ewan McGregor to last year's Rambo, in which he was a sniper who saved Sylvester Stallone's life.

Foreign entertainment media report that he is set for worldwide success after landing a main role in the new summer blockbuster Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, directed by Michael Bay.

He plays the role of Special Air Services officer Captain Graham, taking on the bad guys and sharing the big screen with cast members Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Isabel Lucas, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Julie White, Kevin Dunn and Anthony Anderson.

While filming Transformers, Mr Marsden came within a whisker of death when a helicopter stunt went wrong. He even spoke about this on the red carpet during the LA première, explaining that when the helicopter crashed it missed him narrowly because the stunt went off too early.

"I didn't injure myself, apart from shearing off one of my bottom teeth. There was a bit of blood but my adrenaline kicked in so I didn't feel it," the Sunday Mercury quoted him saying.

Looking back at her husband's journey to fame, Ms Marsden noted: "It's been a great experience. It's weird to see famous actors in front of you. At first it's surreal, then you realise that they are normal people and some worry if their hair looks good."

As she pondered about her homeland, she paused for a while: "Malta is a very special place and you truly appreciate it when you leave. Matthew loves it too. He takes every opportunity to tell people we meet about Malta and starts recommending places to visit and restaurants," she said.