OVERCOMING OBSTACLES - ‘CANCER HAS MADE VICTORIA FEARLESS'

HELEN LEDERER IS FLYING THE FLAG FOR BROADCASTER PAL VICTORIA DERBYSHIRE IN THE I’M A CELEBRITY CASTLE AS SHE TELLS OK! WHY A WARRIOR SPIRIT IS ALREADY HER CROWNING GLORY

- KIRSTY HATCHER

Helen Lederer has done her fair share of reality TV – from appearing on Splash! in 2013 and entering the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2017, to stripping off for charity in The Real Full Monty in 2018. It was in the latter that the actress met Victoria Derbyshire, but Helen says she won’t be following in the footsteps of her friend as a contestant on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!.

“‘Bring it on’ has been Victoria’s mission statement,” says Helen, 66, of the broadcaster. “She asks a lot of herself, which we saw on the show. She expects to do well and doesn’t like to fail.”

The writer and comedian, who is best known for playing Catriona in Absolutely Fabulous, thinks it was this determined nature coupled with Victoria, 52, overcoming breast cancer in 2016 that pushed her to take part in the ITV show.

“Victoria is a fearless woman,” says Helen, who launched the Comedy Women In Print Prize in 2018 to celebrate comedic female writers. “I think cancer has made Victoria fearless, because you think, ‘Well what’s the worst that can happen?’”

Here, Helen tells us about Victoria’s courageous personality, and what she thinks she’ll do next…

Do you think Victoria has had fun being able to show a different side of herself on I’m A Celebrity?