DEVIZES actress Rosemary Hawthorne, now better known as the Knicker Lady, has led the sort of exhausting life that might have left her wanting a quiet time at the age of 74. But instead the vicar’s wife, mother of seven and grandmother of 14, has hit the road with her one-woman show and is gaining rave reviews across the country for her hilarious performances.

She said: “Theatres up and down the land are full of people wanting to see my knickers.”

When at home in Long Street she is an avid collector of clothes from across the decades. One of the top rooms in her three-storey town house is filled to the brim.

Many of the clothes she has collected are old knickers and bras. Mrs Hawthorne’s tiny figure is always immaculately dressed in clothes that are cleverly pieced together in her own style, and she admits most of them come from secondhand shops.

She has made guest appearances on BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee, and has met presenter Claudia Winkleman on a number of occasions and describes her as hilarious. She said: “Claudia is great fun. I have very much enjoyed my stints on the show.”

Mrs Hawthorne, who was born in south east London, went to RADA aged just 17 and then went into rep. When she met John Hawthorne, a prominent media man, aged 21 she agreed to give up her acting career and get married.

She said: “I suppose it was what was expected in those days.” Life changed dramatically in 1977 when her husband decided to go into the church and they went from a life of luxury to living on a curate’s pay in draughty church accommodation.

She started to collect old clothes. She said: “The costume thing blossomed, with all those kids I needed something ‘Me Me Me’ for sanity, darling, so I collected old clothes, including old knickers and old bras, and became a passionate student of costume history, a keen member of costume societies and, gradually, a respected fashion historian.”

She has written a number of fashion books but it was the publication of Knickers: An Intimate Appraisal in 1991 that led to her becoming known as the Knicker Lady and eventually to her one-woman shows.

Her husband is retired but still stands in to take services in the Devizes area when required. Now the tables are often turned and it is his wife’s career that takes centre stage.

She said: “Poor man, now he’s retired and only needs to button on his ancient cassock to take the occasional service. He has found, if not solace, new pleasure in accompanying me on my various speaking engagements and stage performances.

“The Vicar is now my manager and roadie. He helps me clear up after a show. I tell him not to complain; not many ageing clerics get a chance to handle luminous thongs in Cleethorpes.”

In November Mrs Hawthorne performed her show in Devizes for the first time and packed The Wharf Theatre for two performances.