Dame Julie Walters in West Sussex - Bafta-winning actress makes another star appearance

The star of Harry Potter and Mamma Mia was visiting the town for the second time in six months, following her guest appearance at My Sisters' House in August, where she opened the domestic abuse charity's refurbished centre. Following her visit, she was named as the first patron of the charity. Read more hereSpeaking at the International Women's Day conference at The Regis Centre this morning, Dame Julie said: "I feel privileged to be here.

"I am patron of My Sister's House and that in itself is a privilege.

"I am here because of Julie Budge [CEO and founder of My Sisters' House]. She is amazing in what she has done and her fantastic team are so inspiring.

"When I visited the centre when it opened, the most inspiring thing was to sit with some of these wonderful, courageous, survivor warriors. When Julie asked me to be patron, I said 'are you joking, of course'."

Julie Budge said she was 'absolutely honoured', adding: "The fact she is our patron and takes the time to come is just incredible.

"There are lots of people here today who have supported us through the year so it's a really lovely way to thank them.

"It's just a delight to have her here again and she'll be back I'm sure. She pops into the centre which is cool and we're very lucky."

Julie said it was the fifth International Women's Day My Sisters' House has hosted and it is 'getting bigger and bigger'. She said there are women still struggling in the country and 'there's a long way to go'.

"It's really important we put this day on the map," she added.