She won our hearts as man-eater Dorien Green on Birds Of A Feather, sparkled on the
Strictly Come Dancing dance floor and dazzled audiences in the West End, so it’s hard to believe it when
Actress Lesley Joseph tells Love Sunday she still has moments of self-doubt. “The truth is, I have always suffered from insecurities, worrying about what people think of me,” confesses Lesley, 78. “That’s why I still never read reviews of myself.” If she did cast her eye over the reviews, Lesley would soon see there’s no need to doubt how talented and beloved she is. Since hitting our screens as Dorien Green in 1989, she has become a national treasure. So it’s little wonder she isn’t ready to step out of the limelight just yet, despite the fact she’ll celebrate her 80th birthday next year. “The older I get, the more frightened I become of forgetting my lines and making a fool of myself in front of an audience,” she admits. “I think I’ll know when the time is right for me to retire, but it’s not today. There are still so many things I want to do. My mother [Rebecca] died four weeks away from her 104th birthday, and I have her energy. I keep fit with exercise, but I also keep my brain very active through work, and that’s really important.” Lesley’s fitness routine certainly works, because she can still slip into the tiny sequin dress she wore for one of her most famous Birds Of A Feather episodes, when she performed an iconic version of Madonna’s Like A Virgin. In fact, she recently donned the very same micro-mini when she recreated the legendary scene alongside Rylan Clark on his Radio 2 show. Linda Robson, Lesley Joseph and Pauline Quirke ( Image: Fremantle Media/REX/Shutterstock) “I’ve still got the dress,” nods Lesley, who starred in the sitcom alongside Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson . “I kept almost all of Dorien’s costumes from the show, and most of her handbags. I’m never going to get rid of them. Why should I? I’m officially a
fashion hoarder. Dorien Green had these high heels, the terrible short skirts and the massive hair with all that jewellery. She instantly became this huge icon.” Birds Of A Feather would pull in audiences as high as 20 million in its heyday, and Lesley is still good
Friends with her two leading co-stars. “There was great chemistry between the three of us,” she says. “When you’ve known somebody for over 30 years, you can’t help being close. I don’t see so much of Pauline now because she’s stopped acting to focus her time on running her performing arts schools. She lives in the north and I’m in London. But Linda is coming to see me on the opening night of Sister Act.” In fact, Lesley and Loose
Women star Linda are such firm friends, they recently went on a cruise together. Their trip was a welcome boost for Linda, 66, who announced in November that she was separating from Mark Dunford, her husband of 33 years. It’s hard to believe it when actress Lesley says she still has moments of self-doubt ( Image: Fremantle Media/REX/Shutterstock) “I love Linda,” says Lesley. “We share so much TV history and I adore that. She went through a difficult split, and I was there for her – we went on a cruise together and had a giggle. She needed that. We’ve done a number of reality shows together and I love working with her. We did talk about doing a travel show together but we’ll have to see what the future holds.” Birds Of A Feather was revived in 2014 and attracted over 8 million viewers, drawing to an end with a
Christmas special in 2020. Would Lesley consider reviving her role as Dorien one last time? “I don’t think so, no,” she says. “At my age, I don’t know how much longer I have in this business. I’m fit as a flea but there are a few other things I’d like to do before I retire.” One of those things involves hitting the West End again. Lesley is currently strutting her stuff in the stage musical of Sister Act, alongside soul legend Beverley Knight and former X Factor winner Alexandra Burke. It’s a happy, feelgood show, based on the original film starring Whoopi Goldberg. Lesley likely won't return to Birds Of A Feather again ( Image: Piers Allardyce/REX/Shutterstock) Lesley is currently strutting her stuff in the stage musical of Sister Act ( Image: Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock) “When people talk about seeing this musical, the word they use is ‘joyous’,” she says. “The show has great history because so many people saw the films with Whoopi Goldberg. In fact, when Whoopi heard I was going to play Sister Mary, she sent me this huge bunch of flowers with a little note. Of course, I’ve kept the note because I thought it was such a lovely gesture. I will always treasure it. “Doing this show certainly keeps me fit. There’s a lot of dancing, so I have to be in shape. I have so much energy for my age, and I love to walk – I walk all over London. And I love my yoga – it’s become the heart and soul of my health and fitness regime.” With a showbiz career spanning more than 50 years, Lesley has had some extraordinary experiences, but her most memorable moment isn’t one you might expect. “There are three highlights,” she says. “Firstly, Birds Of A Feather, because it changed my life forever. Then playing Frau Blücher in Young Frankenstein and working with the brilliant Mel Brooks – for which I was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2018. “But my most memorable moment was going to the Vatican in Rome and spending an hour with
Pope Francis in 2019. I made him laugh because I held his hand in mine and said, ‘Bless you.’ Only I could bless the Pope! I still get a bit teary when I think about that experience – but at least that meeting helped prepare me for my role in Sister Act!” Sister Act is at the Dominion Theatre,
London, until 31 August. For tickets, visit sisteractthemusical.co.uk Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat ,
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