Ammanford’s leading lady was the star of the show at the Bafta Cymru awards.

Sara Lloyd-Gregory scooped the Best Actress award at the glitzy showpiece event of the Welsh television industry at Cardiff’s Millennium Centre.

The former Ysgol Gymraeg Rhydaman and Ysgol Maes yr Yrfa pupil claimed the gong for her performances in the title role of Alys – the hit S4C drama.

“What a night,” a delighted Lloyd-Gregory told the Guardian, “I am still beaming.”

The 26-year-old, now based in Cardiff, saw off the likes of Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones, who was nominated for her performances in Sky One’s Stella, and Mali Harries, who was shortlisted for her role in BBC1’s hit show The Indian Doctor.

Alys, which tells the story of a single mum who leaves Cardiff and sets up home with her ten-year-old son in a dingy flat in a small west Wales town was specifically written for Lloyd-Gregory by Bafta-winning dramatist Siwan Jones.

Lloyd-Gregory’s Best Actress award is just the latest prize scooped by the show, which has previously claimed Bafta and Celitc Film Festival awards.

“It is a fab that Alys has had the recognition it deserves,” said Lloyd-Gregory.

“It has been a privilege to be involved with the show.”

She will be returning to our screens in the near future in a guest lead role in the new crime series Hinterland for BBC4 and S4C as well as enjoying a major role in indie film Get Up and Go, which was shot in Ireland earlier this year.

Lloyd-Gregory also takes the lead in the supernatural thriller The Devil’s Vice and she also appears in a cameo role in the hotly-anticipated upcoming feature film Without Me.

Lloyd-Gregory has come through as the leading light of a golden generation of Ammanford acting talent, including Alex Roach, Simon Watts, Aled Pugh and Gareth Jewell.