Shunning sunlight is common among vampires, according to the mythos.

Legend has it the ghoulish creatures of folklore can burn and die when exposed to the sun's rays.

As such it could be suggested that Julia Farino, an actor from Little Bookham, may have taken her method acting too far after she revealed she was suffering from Vitamin D deficiency due to a lack of sunlight while starring in a US show about the rise of vampires in North America.

Her diagnosis was particularly surprising because it occurred in Los Angeles — famed for its year-round summer-like weather as one of the sunniest cities in the US.

In fact, being struck by the health issue was due to the Surrey star's complexion.

Ms Farino, 53, said that her particularly sensitive skin led to her to shun the Californian sunlight for fear of burning, leading to a remarkable diagnosis laced with irony.

"I was too scared to go out in the sun in LA because I burn so easily and the sun is so much stronger than it is in the UK," she said.

"I also have pale blue eyes that are sensitive to sunlight. Three years after moving to the US, I started getting lots of coughs and colds and was diagnosed with a Vitamin D deficiency."

Ms Farino is originally from Little Bookham and moved to LA eight years ago and plays one of the good guys in Amazon Prime’s vampire thriller Age Of The Living Dead.

She plays the US President in the online streaming show, and has previously starred in Veep (HBO), Jane The Virgin (The CW), The Gifted (Fox) and Lady Windermere’s Fan (Amazon).

The irony of suffering from a lack of sunlight while starring in a show about vampires (despite playing a human role) was not lost on Ms Farino.

"It was such a shock, because you’d never imagine anyone in LA not getting enough sun — apart from the vampires!" she added.

A second series of Age Of The Living Dead is due to be aired on Amazon Prime this autumn.