A talented young actress who starred as Michelle Keegan's daughter in a hit Netflix show has been praised for her ‘natural talent’.

Four-year-old Thea Taylor-Morgan, who played Lilly Stern in Fool Me Once, has been dubbed a natural thanks to her performance in the hit Harlan Coben show.

The youngster, who was three at the time of filming, had been attending ‘Diddy classes’ at Carol Godby’s Theatre Workshop, in Bury town centre when she was picked for the role.

Bury Times: Michelle Keegan as Maya (PA)Michelle Keegan as Maya (PA) (Image: PA)

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A spokesperson from Linton Management, also founded by Carol Godby and part of the theatre company, said: “We had no idea how big this series would go, it is crazy.

“At the time, all we knew was that they wanted a young girl with dark hair for the role and we thought of Thea straight away.

“She just shines, even at such a young age you can see her confidence and potential, she is a natural.”

Bury Times: Four-year-old Thea, who played Lilly Stern in Fool Me Once

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Before she was cast, Thea had to record a tape, take part in recalls, and have a meeting with the production team.

After they received the good news, they found out that she would be playing the daughter of a well-known actress.

The spokesperson added: “Because it was a Harlan Coben show, there were lots of confidentiality agreements to sign at first and we had no idea who it could be.

“Thea started filming around a year ago for six months and, during that time, built a great relationship with Michelle and she was great with Thea.

“To have a role like this at such a young age is an incredible achievement and she loved every minute of it.”

Read more: Fool Me Once on Netflix features Bolton School in key scene

The eight-episode drama Fool Me Once stars former Coronation Street actress Michelle, Joanna Lumley and Richard Armitage.

The story follows Maya Stern (played by Keegan) who is shell-shocked by the murder of her husband Joe (Armitage) and Detective Sergeant Sami Kierce (Adeel Akhtar) leads the investigation into his killing.

As well as featuring a local star, scenes were also shot in Bury and Bolton at the Arcade Club in Ela Mill on Cork Street and Bolton School.

The management company added: “The performers we have on our books go to Carol’s theatre workshops, we go hand in hand.

“It was Thea’s drama teacher who spotted her talent, she stood out straight away as having potential and so we put her forward.”