Sarah Michelle Gellar

Sarah Michelle Gellar feels lucky she did not make it in Hollywood as a teenager.

The ’Scooby Doo’ actress - who shot to fame in the hit TV series ’Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ at the age of 20 - insists she would have found it hard to cope with fame any earlier in her life.

She said: "I was very lucky. I look at all these kids getting fame and attention now. They’re just not equipped to deal with it at that age. I was protected on my show. I worked constantly. You don’t party when you’re on a TV show. You go to bed for 10 hours and learn your lines."

The 29-year-old actress, who is married to fellow actor Freddie Prinze Jr., has also thanked her mother for keeping her grounded.

She said: "My mother told me I could not move to Los Angeles until I was 18, and I’m glad about that now."