A COURT has heard how a young woman who claims BAFTA-winning actor Chris Langham took her virginity at the age of 14 in a London hotel was regarded as a "drama queen" by her family.

Maidstone Crown Court also heard that the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had eating disorders, had been a gang member and had attempted suicide.

Langham denies 10 charges of indecent assault between January 8, 1996, and April 7, 1998, two other serious sexual offences and 15 of making indecent photographs of a child in 2005.

The woman, now 25, agreed under cross-examination by Langham's QC, David Whitehouse, that she was starstruck by the actor. But she denied his suggestion that he was a celebrity for whom she fell "head over heels."

She said: "To be honest he wasn't that famous at the time and he isn't that famous now. People didn't know him unless they knew the theatre."

She did agree she was "screwed up and troubled" when she met the now 58-year-old twice-married father-of-five from Cranbrook.

Asked to explain why she was thought of as a "drama queen" by her family she told the court: "I used to cry a lot and when my mum had a go at me I would ask her to leave me alone."

But she denied she was "always putting on an act" or attention-seeking.

"They never knew what you were going to do next," accused Mr Whitehouse, to which she replied: "That's not true."

Mr Whitehouse described Langham as a very sympathetic and mature man who was an "evangelical" campaigner on behalf of Alcoholics Anonymous, claiming they

had "saved and transformed" his life. He said the actor was someone who picked up on people's problems and helped them.

"You were giving him powerful reasons for being worried about you," he said to the woman. She simply replied: "I was telling him what was happening in my life. Mr Langham never pushed me away. He was always interested in my problems."

Mr Whitehouse argued that Langham took her to expensive restaurants to encourage her to change her attitude to food, and bought her presents because she had gained weight.

But the woman maintained that Langham "gave her presents anyway" and that she bought gifts for him.

He also argued that when they dined together it was not "in dark corners".

"He took you to places where there would be cheerful company, friends of his, other members of the cast, people he knew."

The woman agreed she was attracted to older men and the court heard she had dated a married policeman and once lived with a divorcee in his 40s when she was 17.

The jury was also told that Langham encouraged her to have counselling for her anorexia and by November 1997 she was seeing both a consultant psychiatrist and a psychiatric nurse.

She said she didn't tell the nurse what was allegedly happening between her and Langham because it was "her secret". However, she did tell the psychiatrist, although she lied about how old she was.

"I told her Mr Langham had had sexual contact but I didn't tell her my age,"

she explained. "I told her I was 16. I didn't want to get into trouble. I knew it wouldn't look good. He was married and I knew I was under the legal age."

The trial continues.