Lesley Joseph keeps slim to fit into her Birds of a Feather character Dorien Green's outfits
Lesley Joseph kept a lot of outfits worn by her Birds of a Feather character Dorien Green, and the star works hard to keep her weight down so she can still fit into them.
Lesley Joseph works hard to keep her weight down so she can fit into her Birds of a Feather character Dorien Green's outfits.
The 80-year-old actress' wardrobe is filled with her alter ego's iconic clothes - of which the sitcom’s long-running gag was that they looked horrible on a woman of Dorien's age, but people would not dare tell her that.
And Lesley still loves wearing them years after the BBC-then-ITV sitcom ended in 2020.
Asked why the star feels she has to keep slim, Lesley exclusively told BANG Showbiz at the 2025 Variety Club Showbusiness Awards: "It's just what I want. I suppose coming out of Birds of a Feather playing Dorien Green, who always wore the tights and all of that.
"And look at me now. I've got this very tight dress on, and I can just about get into it.
"But no. For me, really, because I've got so many of her clothes that I like to get into still. Oh my God, I've got half her wardrobe. 129 episodes, and my wardrobe is absolutely full of Dorien Green's clothes."
Lesley - who starred in Birds of a Feather with Linda Robson (Tracey Stubbs) and Pauline Quirke (Sharon Theodopolopodous) - has donated memorabilia to charities over the years, but she has no plans to sell or put Dorien's outfits in a museum anytime soon.
She said: "I do send some things to charities, but a lot of them I sort of wear. They are some amazing clothes. So I like to keep the weight down so that I can actually get into the clothes, to be honest."
The star of Birds of a Feather - which follows two sisters, Tracey and Sharon, who move in together next door to Dorien after their spouses were arrested for armed robbery - exercises and watches what she eats to stay slim.
Lesley shared: "I walk everywhere. I mean, if I'm in Sloane Square, I'll walk to the West End. I walk everywhere.
"And I'm careful about what I eat. And that's just me. It's nothing to do with anything, really, other than I like to get into the clothes that Dorien wore.
"I've got a little bit to lose yet."
Since the West End star turned 80 on October 14, she regards every day as a good day.
Lesley said: "I just turned 80. Every day is a wonderful day, as far as I'm concerned.
"I think worry about things you can change. Don't worry about things you can't. Every day has to be positive. If you're overweight, you're overweight, it doesn't matter. Approach that day and have a wonderful day.
"I'm only talking for me, and I like to keep myself a little bit thinner so I can get into all my clothes. But since I turned 80, which was only five days ago, I just thought, 'Every day is a good day, every day's a positive day,' and I'm not going to worry about it.
"It's all to do with the mindset. So, as far as I'm concerned, every day is a good day."
