When I speak to TV star Rustie Lee she is still recovering from an extremely early appearance on Good Morning Britain the day before.

However, the 4.30am start was a welcome blast-from-the-past for former breakfast television stalwart Rustie, who rose to fame on ITV’s TV-am in the 1980s.

“I had forgotten how tiring it is really and a long drive back to Staffordshire,“ she says wearily – though she wouldn’t change it for anything.

“I loved being on TV-am, I love being on programmes like This Morning.“ But for now, the Jamaica-born TV personality, chef, singer and actress is touring the country with the Russian Ice Stars in Snow White on Ice, which is coming to the Alban Arena this Easter.

Funnily enough, ice skating appears to be one of the few performance skills the multi-talented mother-of-one hasn’t mastered.

“No, I’m not a skater! I can barely walk on it,“ she exclaims, followed by her trade-mark chortle.

“It was a shock to me when I got invited because I thought – I can’t skate. But I thought I’ll just roll with it and enjoy it because show business is something where you never know what you’re going to do.“

The larger-than-life star explains she is accompanied onto the ice-covered stage by “two gorgeous, handsome boys“ in her role as the Fairy News Reporter – and she is loving every minute of being part of the show.

“They are just incredible, it’s a fabulous show,“ enthuses Rustie, who grew up in Kidderminster after moving to the UK with her family when she was five.

“The owners of the show wanted me specifically because they wanted someone to bring fun and laughter to it,“ she says.

“It’s not the Disney Snow White, it’s the one that was written by the Brothers Grimm, so it’s a darker story, so obviously it needs someone to brighten it up – and it’s me, I brighten it up when I come on stage wearing my wings.“

But if a schoolgirl-aged Rustie were to see herself bedecked in fairy wings, gliding onto the ice in front of a packed audience, she may be surprised, as her first ambition was to be a cookery teacher.

However, she quickly became interested in performing, and toured working men’s clubs as a singer, claiming the title of UK Club Singer of the Year in 1978.

At the behest of her parents, she completed a qualification at the College of Food in Birmingham and later opened the first silver-service Caribbean restaurant in the UK.

“People would travel from all over the country to come to the restaurant,“ says Rustie.

“I wouldn’t mind doing it again I suppose, but people expected me to be there, and they would go: ’Is Rustie going to be there? We’ll wait till she comes,’ so that was rather difficult.

“And, of course, I had a divorce, and the restaurant went with it as well. That wasn’t very nice.“

It was her restaurant that served as the launch-pad for her television career when she was spotted there by a producer who invited her to feature on the BBC’s day-time show Pebble Mill at One.

This eventually led to a slot on TV-am with Chris Tarrant, “and the rest is a bit of history,“ says the celebrity.

It is her warm sense of humour, combined with her earth-shaking laugh, that Rustie is perhaps best remembered for, and she attributes her kind-hearted nature to her upbringing.

“My parents were always helpful to other people, they were always kind to other people when they were coming in to the country,“ remembers Rustie, whose father was in the Royal Air Force.

“It was lovely, and we always had to grow up with manners and respect for other people.“

Her desire to entertain others has led to a long and fruitful career, with appearances on many television programmes including ITV’s Game for a Laugh, Loose Women and most recently the Channel 5 reality show Celebrity Super Spa in 2013.

“I happen to love people, so it’s interesting. If you like people, you like to meet different people and interact with them and just have fun,“ chuckles Rustie, whose dream for the future is to host her own TV show.

“Life can be miserable sometimes, and you’ve got to have someone to cheer it up and here I am.“

Snow White on Ice, Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans, April 8 to 12. Details: 01727 844488, alban-arena.co.uk