I unwind by seeing the three grandkids – Johnny Linehan, who’s 24, and wee Eve Luney, who’s six, and her brother, wee Paul, who’s four. Johnny is very good at guitar and drums – so may become a musician.

People should come along and enjoy themselves at Beauty and The Beast this Christmas because there is no show in town as spectacular for costumes, sets, special effects and singing – and who wouldn't want to miss seeing May McFettridge dancing? There are comedians who can do stand-up online, but I have to see and respond to the faces of my audiences,” he says. May got out the crystal balls. My palm remained at home because of a lurgy, but Q Radio DJ Gareth Woods bravely stepped up for the psychic craic. May got tuned in and said: “Gareth Woods is definitely destined for big things. I can see him moving to London with a tall, dark, handsome and most importantly rich man and landing a job on a TV show – wait, it’s ITV’s This Morning. He’ll be our new Eamonn Holmes.” There is stuff happening at the moment I'd love to get on stage and comment on, but we will wait until next year and then the politicians will all get their comeuppance," he jokes.

I've been invited down to the Aras a couple of times," he says. "I met the mayor of New York when I was doing the fun run part of the marathon as May. I took a wrong turn in Central Park and ended up having to run seven miles dressed as May in sweltering heat. It was rough. I also remember that Kylie Minogue asked to borrow my blue eyeshadow, but I said, 'No, Kylie love, this is totally McFettridge - it's just not Minogue'. About 18 months later she brought out her new album and wasn't her eyeshadow on the front of it blue? She had a video out with her in the gold hotpants and her eyeshadow was blue. I'm not saying that I did that, but I am a fashion icon." Linehan invented the name and the character by ad libbing— the first name being that of his mother-in-law and the surname being that of an Antrim hurler by the name of Olcan McFettridge, whose exploits in a National Hurling League game had made headlines in the local newspaper, The Irish News, which happened to be beside Linehan when put on the spot.

The legendary battleaxe, who has chalked up around 2,400 appearances on the Grand Opera House stage, will be starring in Beauty and The Beast for the first time – and her alter ego John Linehan admits he had to seek advice from her three-year-old grand daughter Eve when researching the role. I've been there when there have been bomb scares and we've had to be evacuated. I remember one time having to walk down to the Washington Bar and everyone was in their gear. His thoughts are echoed by Belfast comic Linehan, who is best known for portraying the character of May McFettridge. I have two brothers and two sisters – my eldest sister, Eileen, had Down syndrome and died when she was 60. I would often hang out with my siblings and cousins. Eamonn Holmes is my wife Brenda’s cousin and we’ve known each other since primary school. I would fix his car then. Whenever he’s over, he’d give me a shout. Linehan has a long association with Northern Amateur Football League club Malachians F.C. and spent two seasons as manager of their reserve team. [5]Each of the circuses has different acts, and that's actually very full on. So you're getting a pantomime but also getting to see these incredible circus performers." Read More Related Articles I've had it for 40 years. It was diagnosed after I burnt my arm on an exhaust pipe in a car. The injury went really deep, nearly as deep as the bone, and I didn't even know that I had burnt it. When I was cleaning the injury I knew that there was something wrong because there was no pain, so I got a doctor to look at it and I was diagnosed then.