Real Name: Stephanie Beacham

Age: 60

Best Known For: Tenko, Dynasty spin-off The Colbys, Bad Girls and a recent stint in Coronation Street. The list is almost endless.

Early Life: Beacham, from Barnet, in Hertfordshire, was born deaf in her right ear and with only 75% hearing in her left. The actress says she can hear perfectly well when people speak directly to her but struggles in social situations and sometimes gets nervous.

Beacham had hoped to become a ballerina but was rejected from the Royal Ballet School and instead decided to teach movement to deaf children.

She studied mime with Etienne Decroux in Paris but returned to the UK after she was sacked from her job as an au pair.

Beacham stumbled into acting and went on to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Career High: Landing the lead role in the 1985 ITV series Connie. Beacham had been seriously ill in hospital when she was given the scripts. In an interview with Hello magazine she said the role ”helped me to go on living”.

Love Life: Divorced from actor John McEnery. The couple have two daughters, Phoebe, 35, and Chloe, 32.

Don’t Mention: The 1981 low-budget film Inseminoid. Beacham said she only took the science fiction flick, and other film roles around the same time, to support her young daughters after her marriage break-up.

Words Of Wisdom: On her role as Rose in Tenko: ”I didn’t mind millions of viewers seeing me so unglamorous because I’ve got no real pride in my appearance. I couldn’t care less if I’m wearing gorgeous dresses like Connie or Sable (in The Colbys), or rags like Rose. The only thing I really care about is that people believe in my character.”