Absolutely fabulous ... that was how Marlborough Joanna Lumley lookalike Sue Bradbury described meeting the real actress for the first time at an exhibition in London.

Ms Bradbury, who lives in Silverless Street with her husband Mike, has worked as a Joanna Lumley double for the past 16 years.

However, until last week the former model, who has two grown-up sons, had never met the person she has been impersonating.

She said she had always dreaded meeting the actress because she did not know what the reaction would be.

But the double’s fears were unfounded.

Ms Bradbury has lived in the Marlborough area for about 25 years and was formerly a model and did some acting as an extra in films.

She said: “I had a small part in a television show and it was the producer who remarked on my likeness to Joanna Lumley.”

Now she often teams up with a close friend who is a David Jason lookalike.

Last week Ms Bradbury was working at an insurance exhibition in London for the company Markel when Joanna Lumley was introduced to her.

“We both found it rather spooky meeting each other for the first time,” said Ms Bradbury, who said the actress knew all about her lookalike work.

“She was delightful and when we met she said that she found it quite spooky, the fact there were two of her.

“I was really thrilled to meet the real Joanna for the first time and she was a real lady.”