An emotional Cynthia Erivo struggled to hold back the tears after taking more than 20 minutes off her personal best at the TCS London Marathon.

Among the tens of thousands of runners pounding the streets of the capital were some familiar faces, including the Emmy, Grammy and Tony award-winning actor.

Not a stranger to performing in front of a global audience, multi-talented Erivo (also a singer and songwriter) crossed the line in 3:35:36, a significant improvement on her 3:57:07 at the New York City Marathon in 2016.

And she said she was over the moon with her performance, especially in the city where she was born” “I’m so happy with the time, and I feel extremely emotional,” said Stockwell-born Erivo, who has also been nominated for an Academy Award twice.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am with the time as I smashed my PB. I am trying hard not to cry.

“I had eight weeks to get my time down and I trained really hard for it. It all paid off and I had wonderful help from my trainer.”

Erivo said her most difficult moment was near the Isle of Dogs, but she was able to pull herself through and towards the closing miles, where the largest crowds shouted their support.

“I can’t believe I did it, and I’m feeling overwhelmed. I felt a bit weird around the 17-mile mark but managed to get through it.

“This is my hometown, and the support was amazing. I just want to thank everybody who came along and shouted their support.”