AN ACTRESS who turned the story of her short-lived marriage into a one-woman show is returning to The Dukes, where it premiered last year.

Polly Lister is a familiar face at the Lancaster theatre, having appeared in Hansel and Gretel in Williamson Park and Beauty and the Beast.

But it was her solo play I Was a Wife that won her the most acclaim - and standing ovations - early last year, and she is bringing a renewed version of her story of love and loss back to The Dukes on March 3 and 4.

Polly met her future husband online and a marriage proposal came during the run of a Christmas show in Harrogate.

"I’ve never felt so special and I knew I didn’t want to marry anyone else,” recalled Polly.

The wedding took place in Keswick while Polly was appearing at Theatre by the Lake, and just months later she was asked for a divorce without being told why.

"I’d never believed in anything as much but within a matter of weeks after the wedding, it changed," recalled Polly, who won a UK Theatre Award in 2015. "It’s like taking a drug for 11 months which has never made you feel so good and then it’s taken away from you."

Her self-penned play is performed in the round and set in the various theatre dressing rooms she used during her "rollercoaster ride of romance".

Polly is also bringing I Was a Wife to Keswick's Theatre by the Lake for a three-night run, starting tonight (Thursday, February 23).

Polly fell in love with theatre aged seven and by 15 she was one of the youngest people to be accepted into the National Youth Theatre. She later graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University School of Theatre. In a career spanning more than 20 years, she has toured the world appearing on stage, screen and radio.

Dukes box office 01524-598500 or www.dukes-lancaster.org. Keswick box office 017687-74411 or www.theatrebythelake.com