Michelle Dockery has revealed she “felt sick” about filming the final scenes of Downton Abbey but said she thought the show had ended at the right time.

The actress, who played Lady Mary in the ITV period drama, said she had not expected to be so overwhelmed with emotion as the cast and crew wrapped up the sixth and final series.

She admitted she had found it hard to adjust to the level of fame that came with starring in such a popular programme but said that now it was over, she wanted to go backpacking and take the gap year she had never had.

More than eight million fans tuned in for the series finale of Downton Abbey last month, in which Lady Mary finally found happiness again with racing driver Henry Talbot.

Dockery’s final scene was filmed below stairs, with Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan and Hugh Bonneville, who played Mr Carson, Mrs Hughes and the Earl of Grantham, which she described as “really poignant”

“On my last day of filming, leading up to that final take, I felt sick,” she said.

“I didn’t expect to feel so sad. But I think it was a smart move to end the show where we did. At the wrap party, the producer did a speech and said, ‘now let’s party like it’s 1925!’ My feet have only just recovered from all the dancing.”

She revealed that she and Laura Carmichael , who played Lady Edith, did not want to leave the set and so wandered around together, sat on Matthew’s bench and had a cry.

The actress said that in the wake of the show’s incredible success, she had discovered who she could turn to to keep her feet on the ground and had learnt not to Google herself too often.

“When Downton first became… just the enormity of it. I was so overwhelmed and found it hard to adjust to being recognised and having my private life in the spotlight,” she told Red magazine.

“I’ve got people around me who I can turn to for advice: my mum, and my partner, John (Dineen, her PR fiancé). But, at this stage, my instincts are pretty good.

“When people write about you, of course, you’re curious to know what they’re saying. It’s dangerous to keep doing it because you will find things that will upset you. It’s a slippery slope. You see it a lot: people googling themselves and going crazy. I still do it occasionally. I think most women care less what people think of them as they get older.”

Dockery suggested that she had not let fame and fortune go to her head as she still liked to shop for bargains in her home town of Romford.

And having never had a year out, she said she was keen to travel to Australia and India and also liked the idea of backpacking or interrailing around Europe.

In a separate interview, the actress revealed she had considered quitting Downton after series three but could not bear thought of watching the show and not being part of it.

She told the Sunday Mirror’s Notebook magazine that working with the likes of Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton had been “an education” and that she felt like she had grown up on set and also had a history lesson.

She admitted she would “jump at the chance” to do a Downton movie and thought that the rest of the cast would also be on board, although she did not believe it was something that had been discussed.

However, Downton fans have one final fix in store as the characters return for one final time during a special Christmas Day episode, set on New Year’s Eve.

The full interview appears in the January issue of Red, on sale 1 December. For further exclusive content, please go to www.redonline.co.uk/michelledockery.