I'm happy to be nanna to the YOUNG ONES'

Famous to millions as Emmerdale's Mandy Dingle, actor Lisa Riley explains why she also relishes her off-screen role on the soap

- SUE CRAWFORD

When Lisa Riley first roared into Emmerdale as feisty Mandy Dingle, she was only 19 and a self-confessed party girl. While her nights were spent carousing with friends, her weekends were all about shopping until she dropped – so much so that her co-star Steve Halliwell, who plays her on-screen uncle Zak, cut up her credit card to try to help rein her in!

Fast forward 27 years and Lisa herself is now one of the wise, older heads of the cast – giving advice and guidance to the show’s younger actors. But rather than missing her own carefree youth, it’s a role that she is only too glad to play.

‘I’m happy to be old nanna to the young ones in the cast and point them in the right direction,‘ smiles the 45-year-old star.

‘The older cast will always say to them, “Go and talk to Lisa.” Because I’m open, because I tell them that I made mistakes. I did fall out of nightclubs drunk in front of photographers; I dated a guy and he sold a story on me.

‘So, I’ll say to them, “Please don’t go to those bars because those are the sort of bars where people will chat you up and then ring a newspaper afterwards.'

'My dressing room door is always open. I'll sit there in my "Mandy pants" going, "It's all right, come in!" And they'll come in and ask my advice. I'm so proud I can do that for them that I fill up.

Friendly and upbeat, Lisa is a tonic in these troubled times. Seven years ago, she gave up alcohol, overhauled her diet (losing 12 stone) and took up exercise. Now her social media posts are full of heartfelt and inspirational comments, but it bothers Lisa that her younger co-stars don't always follow suit.