Lynda Bellingham has paid tribute to the WI ladies who stripped off to raise more than £3 million for Leukaemia Research – inspiring the hit show she is bringing to Bradford from Monday.

The actress, who is also a panelist on ITV show Loose Women, joins a star-studded cast in Calendar Girls, based on the real-life story of the nude calendar produced by Rylstone and District WI near Skipton, which became a global phenomenon.

This week, the Telegraph & Argus reported that the show is the most successful to tour the UK, taking £21m more at the box office than the film version, starring Julie Walters and Helen Mirren.

“People think it’s going to be either sad or funny, but it’s actually both,” said Lynda.

“The writer, Tim Firth, has this wonderful knack of making you laugh just as you’re about to cry. It’s a very British thing to laugh through adversity, and this play captures that beautifully.”

Lynda, who was in the original production of Calendar Girls, which dazzled the West End and Broadway, has returned to her role as feisty Chris. The cast also includes Rula Lenska, Ruth Madoc, Jan Harvey, Jennifer Ellison, Joe McGann and former Strictly Come Dancing star Camilla Dallerup.

“When we did our first nude photo-shoot, we were all a bit self-conscious and giggly, but as time has gone on we’ve become quite blase about stripping off. The thing we have to retain is our initial shyness, which has to come across on stage,” said Lynda. “It was a huge thing for the real WI women to take their clothes off, they certainly weren’t blase about it. Nude calendars like that hadn’t been done before.”

  • See Saturday's Telegraph & Argus for full story.