Helen Lederer at home in
London unveiling her new book (Image: Tim Merry/Mirror Express) (Image: Tim Merry/Mirror Express) For the latest Weatherfield news and spoilers - sign up here More Newsletters Subscribe Please enter a valid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show me See Our Privacy Notice See Our Privacy Notice × Group 28 For the latest Weatherfield news and spoilers - sign up here Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice Helen Lederer, known for her distinctive lopsided grin and large, inquisitive blue eyes, has admitted to cheating on Harry Enfield before being cast as a sex worker. Despite often being underestimated, she is one of the few female comedians who managed to break into the male-dominated
comedy scene of the 1980s, reports the Mirror. The 80s and 90s were not particularly welcoming to
Women comedians. Many believed that Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders , and Victoria Wood were more than enough, without the need for a quirky blonde making her way onto the scene and outshining the boys. Read More Related Articles Celebrity Big Brother's Zeze Millz's huge career news following appearance on ITV show Read More Related Articles Prince Andrew's strange bedroom with 72 'adored' teddies displayed in size order and odd 'Daddy' pillow However, this didn't deter Helen. She carved out a career as a regular on some of the era's biggest shows, from sketch shows like Happy Families (1983-85), Naked Video (1987) and French and Saunders, to sitcoms such as The Young Ones, Bottom and Absolutely Fabulous (where she played the role of tipsy journalist Catriona). But it wasn't a walk in the park. "People would actually ask me, 'What is it like to be a woman and funny? '," says Helen, now 69, still taken aback by the blatant sexism. "One is held accountable for being a female comedian, and I've often been asked to justify it as a life choice. I was funny and ambitious, which wasn't seen as a comfortable mix." Read More Related Articles Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen in shock split after 20 years of marriage Read More Related Articles Lorraine Kelly's exciting news as daughter Rosie announces pregnancy Helen, who was raised in Eltham, South East London, studied criminology before securing a spot at drama school. Once she ventured into stand-up comedy, she befriended Ben Elton and Rik Mayall at the Comedy Store in London. However, there was a certain hierarchy when they transitioned to television. "Don't crash my laughs," Rik reportedly cautioned her once. Helen shares: "I'd do the feed [the line that precedes the punchline]. I was very earnest in the 80s. Like a comedy secretary." But it's the off-camera interactions that truly pique interest. As disclosed in her new memoir, Not That I'm Bitter, there was significant chatter about her encounter with Rik at the 1983 Edinburgh Festival. This is primarily because their rendezvous was abruptly interrupted when "a bee decided to fly into the room". The duo opted for a stroll instead. "None of us were looking for an actual relationship," she adds. "Rik was really an amazing, charismatic, unique and exciting performer and human." In the mid-80s, she was romantically involved with Harry Enfield, who was seven years her junior. Their relationship ended when he discovered her infidelity. "Harry was very talented, very clever and very kind," she remembers. However, as his fame grew with his Loadsamoney character, she started seeing her ex-boyfriend again. She felt remorseful when Harry visited after she had a secret rendezvous with another man in a botanical garden. Top showbiz news Middletons 'can't pay' insolvency costs Charles reverses lifelong food habit Laura Tobin 'struggling' on GMB Corrie star breaks silence after exit "[Harry] arrived at my flat with a perfume named Poison," she recalls, noting the irony. "I felt sick, ashamed and rumbled." She admits that she cared for both men. "At the time the easiest way to avoid hurting either of them was to just crack on with both of them at the same time," she confesses. Harry eventually sent her a "chucking letter". Helen Lederer (Image: Tim Merry/Mirror Express) But they reconciled - a few years later, he cast her in The Harry Enfield Show... albeit as a sex worker. Carving out a career as a young comedienne, regardless of how witty her material was, proved challenging. "I go towards danger, I'm attracted to it," reveals Helen, who was born in Wales to an English mother and Czech father. The stand-up comedy scene is currently experiencing its own #MeToo movement, and Helen has plenty of personal experiences to share. "Comedy and power can go together," she observes. "There's a lot of adrenaline, there's a lot of excitement, a lot of working late.... but, you know, behaviours were different then. #MeToo is a reflection of people having voices who hadn't voices in the past. In my mother's day, it would've been unheard of." Helen recalls a tutoring session at her home with a now-deceased drama tutor, who invited another student to join them. She remembers: "It mainly involved him sitting on the sofa and watching to see if we might become lesbians. I obliged as far as I could." Top showbiz news Middletons 'can't pay' insolvency costs Charles reverses lifelong food habit Laura Tobin 'struggling' on GMB Corrie star breaks silence after exit Back in the day, some chaps thought nothing of a wee grope under a lass's skirt. Helen reflects: "This behaviour was accepted as bohemian, almost characterful. It was easier to just go along with things. I don't see myself as a victim: I wanted to be a better
Actress. I felt I could go far, and sometimes it was quicker to say 'yes' not 'no'." Yet beneath her outspokenness, Helen reveals a more vulnerable side. "I'm quite people pleasing," she confesses, having been happily hitched to her second hubby Chris, a GP, since 1999. She's still buzzing from her recent stint on Corrie alongside the legendary Bill Roache, 90, last month. Join the Daily Record's
WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. "Bill is lovely," she enthuses. "Fingers crossed I go back, I'd love to." And what about approaching her 70th birthday in September? "There is nothing I can do about time passing," she declares. "No one else can do anything about it either. So as I get older, so does everyone else." Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletter here . Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Follow Daily Record
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