EAST Lancashire actress Diana Vickers is to return to the stage in a new production of Steel Magnolias.

A film adaptation of this heart-warming comedy in 1989 starred Dolly Parton and Julia Roberts and this new stage version will tour the UK in 2023 including a week at The Lowry, Salford Quays in February.

The star-studded, all-female cast also includes Harriet Thorpe, best known for her role as Carole Parkinson in The Brittas Empire and Fleur in Absolutely Fabulous; Call the Midwife’s Laura Main; Lucy Speed, best known for EastEnders and The Bill, Caroline Harker and Elizabeth Ayodele.

Steel Magnolias, which was first performed off-Broadway in 1987, is the story of six women who meet once a week in a small-town beauty salon in the American South, and prove that female friendship conquers all.

Diana Vickers is returning to the stage after touring in a production of Dial M for Murder in 2021 starring alongside Tom Chambers in the gripping whodunnit.

A former Blackburn schoolgirl who reached the semi-finals of the X Factor in 2008 and had both number a one single and album, Diana Vickers has gone on to enjoy a highly-successful stage career as well as branching out into film, fashion and being a successful podcaster.

She made her West End debut in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, picking up a best newcomer award along the way. She has subsequently appeared in The Duck House and The Rocky Horror Show.

Steel Magnolias will visit more than 20 theatres across the UK in a tour lasting until July.

Steel Magnolias, The Lowry, Salford Quays, February 21 to 25. Details from www.thelowry.com