REHEARSING for comedy The Naked Truth has allowed actress Julie Buckfield to add "pole-dancing" to her impressive CV.

And she's loving her new-found skill.

"I've got muscles where I never knew they could be," said Julie, best-known for her roles in Hollyoaks and Grange Hill (and being the twin sister of Clare Buckfield, former girlfriend of Ant n' Dec's Declan Donnelly).

"We had classes to teach us how to do it and at first it was like Oh no' and I got a lot of bruises. I'd done dancing at theatre school but this is totally different experience.

"But gradually, as we learned more and more, something clicked and now I can hang upside down holding onto the pole just with my legs."

Although the play requires the women to parade around on stage in their underwear, Julie wasn't fazed.

"Being on stage in your underwear was a bit daunting at first but it's only for the last five to 10 minutes of the play - the rest of the time we're fully clothed. I actually found it quite empowering."

Tailor-made for women, The Naked Truth, by Dave Simpson (writer of the hit comedy Girls' Night Out) is about sisterhood and how five different women struggle to conquer pole dancing for a charity event to raise money for breast cancer.

As their stories unfold and unravel, the women share laughter and tears in this funny but sad, and ultimately moving, play.

It stars Lisa Riley (Emmerdale and Fat Friends), Gemma Wardle (Family Affairs and Life On Mars), Samantha Seager (Coronation Street); Jayne Tunnicliffe (Coronation Street) and Lucy Rusedski (wife of tennis star Greg) in an all-female cast.

"The cast are all absolutely lovely," said Julie.

"I feel sorry for the director, who is the only man. We spend a lot of time giggling and laughing with each other and he has to say Come on, we're rehearsing now'. It's a real hoot. We've just done a week in Scotland and we all lived together and it was so much fun."

The 2008 production is the show's third UK tour. Julie believes it is so popular because it's contains issues that many women experience themselves.

"It's a very real play that connects with the audience and leaves you feeling lifted," said Julie. "It touches on the very serious issue of breast cancer with sensitively and with humour."

Julie started acting as a hobby in TV commercials at the same time as sister Clare, and together their careers blossomed.

"We did a commercial for Kia Ora together when we were eight years old and both really enjoyed it," remembered Julie. "Then I got Grange Hill and it launched my career. My school wasn't going to let me do the show because they said it would interrupt my school work so we moved to Silvia Young Theatre School, which was great news for us."

Claire is perhaps the better-known twin thanks to a high profile relationship with Declan Donnelly and an appearance on Dancing on Ice, but Julie insists they're no rivalry.

"I still live with my sister and there's never been any competition between us," she said.

"If we're both going up for a part we don't care who gets it as long as one of us does. I'd rather she got it than someone else."

And although Julie is focusing on her theatre career at present, she doesn't rule out a return to TV.

"It wasn't really a conscious decision to leave TV and go into theatre and I'd definitely like to do more telly in the future," she said.

  • See Julie Buckfield in The Naked Truth at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Monday, June 16 to Saturday, June 21. For tickets call 01253 290190 or visit www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk