When Hayley Tamaddon was growing up in Blackpool, she would watch the seaside entertainers working their magic on stage and dream of following their footsteps into showbiz.

The youngster devoted hours to training in singing and acting – but it was her rather unglamorous Saturday job selling burgers that brought her into contact with her comedy hero.

“I was working in McDonald’s in Blackpool, and Billy Pearce walked in,” recalls Hayley. “I was 15 and Billy was my idol; I’d seen him in shows with my mum when I was growing up. He was a fabulous entertainer. I served him a Big Mac and I was really starstruck. Who’d have thought that 15 years later we’d be starring in a show together? It’s mad!”

Hayley and Billy are currently treading the boards at the Alhambra in Cinderella. Hayley is Cinders, playing opposite Billy as Buttons. The pair first worked together on a tour of The Rocky Horror Show, when Hayley played Janet and Billy was the Narrator.

“We hit it off straight away,” says Hayley. “When he asked me to do panto with him at the Alhambra I was thrilled. I’m working with my idol!

“Billy is a fantastic performer, audiences love him here. It’s really heartwarming. He makes me laugh and he has quite a reputation for making other cast members laugh on stage. I think people in the audience sometimes think, ‘Oh, I bet they do that every night’ when we’re ‘corpsing’ (trying not to laugh) on stage but it’s totally spontaneous. Billy keeps us entertained as well as the audience!”

The pantomime is a riot of 3D effects, physical comedy and fast-paced song and dance numbers. “There’s so much in it, for teenagers as well as younger children,” says Hayley. “We have to wear 3D glasses on stage too otherwise we wouldn’t be able to see the effects. We have to work around them on stage. It took a bit of getting used to.

“Panto is hard work because it’s full-on, very fast. People often underestimate how hard it is. We’re barely off the stage and there are so many quick costume changes, especially when I change from my ball dress into my rags. It just doesn’t stop.

“I’m loving it though, it’s great fun. Some actors say, ‘Oh, I’d never do panto’, but they don’t know what they’re missing. It’s such an amazing time of year and you really feel part of something special. And I’m a big kid at heart so I always love panto.”

Hayley missed valuable rehearsal time when she was struck down with a nasty flu virus earlier this month. “We only had 11 days to rehearse and I was off sick for a week!” she says. “I had an awful chest infection and was bedridden. I couldn’t move. This business can take its toll on your health, you have to try and keep yourself fit once the show starts.”

Hayley, 31, is best known as feisty Delilah Dingle in Emmerdale. The 30th member of the notorious Dingle clan to arrive in Hotten, Delilah turned up in a meringue wedding dress, having jilted her fiance at the altar.

Although business savvy – Delilah teamed up personally and professionally with Eric Pollard’s scheming son David – she had the usual Dingle trait of finding herself in impossible situations, with her head usually ruling her heart.

Hayley left Emmerdale last year but wouldn’t rule out a return to the Yorkshire soap. “The door has been left open, so I’m lucky,” she says. “I learned a lot from working in soap, and of course it was great fun being a Dingle, one of soap’s biggest families. I have very happy memories. I’ve kept in touch with the cast – Lucy Pargeter who plays Chas Dingle is one of my best mates – and they’re coming to see me in the panto.

“If it wasn’t for Emmerdale I’d never have done Soapstar Superstar, so I’ll always be grateful for that.”

Hayley’s hidden skills were revealed a couple of years ago on Soapstar Superstar, ITV’s singing talent show for soap actors. She proved to be a talented singer and a hit with viewers who voted her runner-up to Coronation Street’s Antony Cotton. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” reveals Hayley. “It was on every night. We were singing live for a panel of judges and millions of viewers, so it was tough going and it was strange because I wasn’t appearing as Delilah – I was just me. I felt quite vulnerable at first.

“When I trained as a kid I did the ‘triple threat’ of singing, dancing and acting, but when you’re in a soap people only really see one side of you. Soapstar Superstar gave me chance to show what else I could do.”

It led to an appearance at the Royal Albert Hall and singing with Michael Ball at the Opera House in Blackpool during his tour. Hayley has since appeared in musicals including Grease, Boogie Nights, Mamma Mia and Fame, as well as TV dramas The Royal, Where The Heart Is and children’s show Hider In The House.

“Musicals keep you fresh, you’re using all your performing skills,” she says. “Funnily enough, I don’t do much singing on my own in Cinderella but it’s still good to flex the vocal muscles every day – unless I’m bursting into fits of giggles when Billy’s around!”

Cinderella runs at the Alhambra until February 1. For tickets ring (01274) 432000.