In extracts from the book, published in The Guardian, Wilson recalled an incident where she was sat down by Britt Allcroft, the director of Thomas and the Magic Railroad.

At the time, she was told that she was now a “grownup 12-year-old” and, as such, would need to start wearing a sports bra – a comment which left Wilson feeling “alienated” from her own body.

Shortly after this incident, the young actress looked herself up on the internet – and was horrified by what she found.

“A website called Mr Cranky wrote that I was popping up in every movie these days because I would soon be entering ‘the awkward years, when she’ll be old enough to have breasts, but not old enough to show them legally’,” she recalled.

“I folded my arms over my chest just reading that, and even as an adult it makes me shudder. Who did they think they were, talking about a preteen girl’s breasts?”

Matilda’s Mara Wilson reveals the dark side of child fame: “who did they think they were, to talk about a preteen girl’s breasts?”