Su Pollard, 44, a former secretary with the Nottingham Co-op, came second to a singing Jack Russell terrier on the TV talent show Opportunity Knocks. Undeterred, she went on to appear in national tours of Desert Song, Rose Marie, Godspell and Grease.

She was propelled to TV stardom as the chalet maid Peggy in the BBC comedy Hi-De-Hi! and followed this with the accident prone parlour maid Ivy in You Rang, M'Lord?

Su divorced her Australian schoolteacher husband Peter Keogh in July 1992 after eight years of marriage and has been romantically involved with German restaurateur Michael Lahrmann since Christmas 1992. She lives in North London and is currently in the comedy Don't Dress For Dinner at the Opera House, Jersey.

MY FATHER

My father Donald is like me in so many ways: optimistic, lots of drive, quick mind, well read, precise. His favourite phrase is: 'It's all about measurements.' Which he says when making his chairs and wardrobes. he's very much into DIY and has saved me thousands of pounds in my house. He's really interesting to talk to. We have these three hour chinwags when he and my mother, who live in a coastal village near Skegness, are staying with me. Dad's 71 now. He retired at 60 from his job as a computer data processor in Nottingham because there was so much he wanted to do with his life. He and my mum Hilda love travelling to faraway places like Hawaii and Australia. He's a real goer, a male counterpart of me. All my showbiz friends adore him, and he them. He's a major influence in my life with his integrity, honesty, reliability and encouragement.

JOHN ADDY

John's a multi-faceted entrepreneur, a big club king and a self made millionaire. He's an intriguing mix of being shy and flamboyant. I met him ten years ago in Blackpool when I was doing the Hi-De-Hi! stage show and he's become a fantastic friend.

He does everything nice that a husband would do but without being a husband. He never forgets my birthday, when flowers or plants suddenly arrive. He travels a lot and always brings me back the most beautiful presents. He's always there if I need him.

He likes similar clothes to me and I can wear his sparkly jackets. AT a sad time in his life I was there for him and he's been a solace to me during particularly upsetting phases. Often he'll fix up my digs for me if I'm on tour and that always takes a lot of time and effort. He's lovely.

MATTHEW KELLY

We became great mates when we appeared in panto 16 years ago.

For a fancy dress party, Matthew got hold of some women's tights and went as Rudolph Nureyev, and I used body paint to go as a bird. They called us the Terrible Two.

When we're together we catch up on all the gossip and have D and Ms - deep and meaningfuls. No niceties, just plain English chat.

SIMON CADELL

Simon's extremely witty. He used to say: 'Pollard, lower your voice to a scream.' Having him on board as Jeffrey Fairbrother in Hi-De-Hi! was fab because he's incredibly unselfish. He taught me a lot about cameras and technical things. Also, I'd never seen anybody smoke as many fat cigars in one day. He's a real pal and we have great conversations. He may have gone to public school, Bedales, but he doesn't treat me any differently simply because I don't share the same background. I think he has respect for me, and it's reciprocated. We had a great time doing Don't Dress For Dinner three years ago. I was absolutely shattered when I first learned about his cancer scare last year. At one point he seemed to be at death's door, but I'm happy to say he's really coming on in leaps and bounds. He's working a lot, which I'm really pleased about because he's got a young family. I pray he'll be around until he's 105 - there's a lot more I want to do with him.

MY BOYFRIEND

I met Michael in Newcastle. He owns a fantastic bistro called Cafe Chancellor. When I ordered a croissant with ham and cheese and some salad, he clicked his heels and did a 'Heil Hitler!' salute. 'Great,' I thought, 'this guy can laugh at himself.' He's never jealous when I go to do's without him and I like that. We can't see each other as much as we'd like because I have to go where my contract stipulates. At one time we talked about marriage every day but we're over that. We get on really well and I'm going to settle for that.

PAUL SHANE

I'd been in the business for only two years when I met Paul on one of the spin offs of The Comedian telly shows. I was a dead loss at stand up comedy and all my stuff ended up on the floor. He said: 'Never mind Su, it happens to all of us.' I nearly dropped dead when I saw him at the read through for Hi-De-Hi! In the early days we weren't getting much money and as he was still working in the clubs, he used to lend me a fiver until pay day. He was like the company petty cash till. He Played my dad in You Rang, M'Lord? and calls me Four Eyes. I call him the No Neck Man. He can come over as a bit gruff but that's because he's a shy man. Mind you, he won't suffer fools gladly. Through all my ups and downs, he's always been there. He's loyal, Paul is.

LES DENNIS

Les is my leading man in Don't Dress For Dinner. He's funny, professional, giving and never pulls rank. I thought from the minute I first saw him at a BBC Christmas party: 'Oh yes, he's a nice looking bloke.' We've had a lot of fun. We're just down to earth people who see the daft side of things. Our homes are only a ten minute cab drive apart. He calls me Sis and I call him Bruv because he's like the brother I never had.
 

Interview By Ian Woodward

Daily Express 1994