"The day one of the world's highest paid movie stars told me I'd ruined my life."

“You f*cked up your life.”

Those were the actual the words Academy Award nominee and one of the highest paid actors in the world, THE ACTUAL Samuel L. Jackson, said to me just after I’d finished interviewing him for his latest movie.

No, he wasn’t talking about my questionable habit of keeping a jar of Nutella by my bed in case I get hungry and wake up at 2am (although, I should really see someone about that).

He wasn’t talking about the fact that I was wearing the most well-worn pair of flats in my wardrobe for an interview with a major celebrity (oops).

He was talking about…my marriage.

When the cameras had switched off, he leaned forward and asked me a question I’d been asked many, many times before.

“Are you engaged? I see you’re wearing a big engagement ring…” he smiled.

"Actually, I'm married," I said, preparing myself for the question that would inevitably come next. I'd played this game before.

"How old are you? Are you even old enough to be married?"

At the time, I was 26. A fact which prompted the actor to have the above reaction.

Thank God I didn't tell him that I'd actually been married for almost four years, having tied the knot when I was a baby-faced 22. (I still like to think I am just as baby-faced almost five years on, but that's beside the point).

I'm not quite sure the Hollywood heavyweight could have handled such a SHOCKING revelation.

I wasn't horrified with Jackson told me I'd ruined my life by marrying young. It's nothing I hadn't heard before. Plus, hello, it was SAMUEL L. JACKSON. He'd just given me the best dinner party story OF ALL TIME.

via GIPHY

To be honest, I wasn't even offended. In fact, I laughed when he reacted the way he did. So did he. (It was quite the moment, really). So did the camera crew that was still in the room.

"Thanks for the unsolicited life advice, Dad!" I remember one cameraman saying.

Unsolicited indeed. But the actor is just another name I can add to the list of strangers who have felt the need to tell me all about my so-called 'life mistake'.

From experience, I've found that shop attendants are the worst. I didn't realise buying a shirt for 30% off also came with a bonus bag of judgement. To be honest, even simple tasks like buying a coffee have sometimes prompted me to shove my left hand into my pocket to avoid the conversation.

Throughout my engagement, even family members decided it was a good idea to warn me that marrying so young was "the worst thing I would ever do." Thanks for the support, Grandma.

The older I get, the more I realise that yes, 22 is pretty young to be walking down the aisle. But here's the thing: I may have been young but I don't think I was stupid.

I knew exactly what I was doing when I said 'yes' to my now-husband's proposal. I knew the commitment I was in for. And I don't regret it for a second. (Okay, maybe for the TEENIEST split second when my husband asks me for the 1000th time which way to cut an onion).

For many people, tying the knot so young may very well be the worst thing they could ever imagine. But, without getting sappy, it was the best thing I ever did.

If only for the fact that I got a pretty good story out of it, right?