SHE IS better known for adorning the covers of lad's magazines and appearing in the tabloid press, but now Abi Titmuss is coming to Suffolk to prove her acting credentials.

Russell Claydon

SHE IS better known for adorning the covers of lad's magazines and appearing in the tabloid press, but now Abi Titmuss is coming to Suffolk to prove her acting credentials.

Theatre bosses are hoping the glamour model's take on Shakespeare's wicked queen Lady Macbeth will bring The Bard's work to a younger and wider audience.

The production of Macbeth is being put on by Lowestoft's The Seagull Theatre starting on November 18, but will also tour Sudbury, Bungay, Halesworth and Norwich for special one night performances.

John Hales, the artistic director of the Seagull Theatre, said: “There is no stunt casting - this is someone who is earning her stripes.

“She is a really, really good actress and that was one of the main considerations as we needed a strong female lead.

“To those who have not seen her she will be a wonderful surprise.”

Mr Hales, who will play Macbeth himself, first met Miss Titmuss in conjunction with a film he was working on early this year and saw her as his perfect femme fatale for the Shakespeare classic.

He added: “She brings depth and heart to it and she will move people.”

Miss Titmuss is currently playing to sell-out audiences in Hull in John Godber's comedy Up and Under, which was turned into a film starring Samantha Janus.

A former nurse, Miss Titmuss first shot to fame for her relationship with TV presenter John Leslie.

She became a pin-up after launching herself as a glamour model but has since branched out into television work and made her West End stage debut in 2006.