No, that tattoo wasn't a spoiler. But if you want some real insight into Game of Thrones' final season from Sophie Turner, we've got you covered.

Turner told Digital Spy that the last six episodes of HBO's fantasy epic will give us an "empowered" Sansa, now the "true leader of Winterfell".

"Finally, she has the strength of her family behind her," Turner explained.

"She's used Littlefinger for all he has. As she said, 'Thank you for all your lessons'. He has nothing left to give her. So she is so empowered. She has a family behind her. She has Littlefinger, Cersei, Margaery, everyone's wisdom and teachings all behind her.

HBO

"She's a real, true leader of Winterfell now. And that's where we first see her – as a very protective, empowered lady in charge. It's the first time you ever see her like that, and it's so amazing to see her like that – kind of owning her destiny."

It's been quite the journey over the eight seasons for Sansa, who started out – in Turner's own words – as a "vulnerable, innocent, naïve young girl".

"I've been so, so lucky [because] it's the biggest acting part I think I could have ever had," she said. "To be able to take her through the motions of being beaten down, and growing and eventually evolving – literally season by season, you see a huge change in her.

"And now we've got to the point where she's this steely, strong, manipulative, intelligent, kind, young woman, and it's completely the opposite of who she was at the beginning of the series.

HBO

Related: Sophie Turner was "very satisfied" with Game of Thrones season 8's "unpredictable" ending

"Every single season has pushed and stretched me so much. Without Game of Thrones, I don't think that I would be half the actress I am today. I'm not saying I'm particularly a good one, but I'd be even worse!"

Turner admitted that she is her "own biggest critic" when it comes to playing Sansa, revealing that she "struggle[s] to look back at the first few seasons, because it's cringe-y seeing yourself on screen".

"It is just such a drastically different Sansa that the one that I play today – I almost don't recognise her," she added. "Every single season, she just – for me – gets better and better and better. She's just a joy. She's just a progressive joy."

The character now has a legion of fans, but Turner said she's seen a sea change in the way fans react to her character since Game of Thrones began.

"I very much remember the first couple of seasons, people really loathed her," she confessed. "They really hated her. They found her quite stuck up and a really frustrating character.

2015 Home Box Office, Inc

Related: Here's the top-secret codename that Game of Thrones used as a fake title during season 8 filming

"Then they started feeling sorry for her, because it seemed like the next few seasons were her being beaten and bruised and raped and married – forced marriages – and all of these horrific things happened to her.

"Slowly, people started to feel sympathy, but it took a while. A lot of people, for a while, were saying that she deserved it.

"It's interesting, because it really wouldn't have made Sansa the Sansa she is today had she not gone through those things, and had been subjected to so much torture and trauma. It's made her the strong, passionate woman that she is.

"Now, she has a lot of followers, a lot of fans. She definitely was not a fan favourite to start off with. But now I would say that she is!"

Game of Thrones wrapped filming for good last week, with Turner telling us that leaving Sansa behind felt like "a divorce, or a death in the family".

Game of Thrones season 8 will premiere in 2019. The show airs on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK. Season 7 is now available to buy on DVD, Blu-ray or digital download.

Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter account.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io