Opening night for TV star Jess Wright's new show in Colchester

She married fiancé and business partner William Lee-Kemp last month and is now starring in new musical comedy, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! alongside Maureen Nolan, X Factor finalist Niki Evans and Olivier Award winner Leanne Jones.

Ahead of appearing on stage in Colchester, KATY PEARSON caught up with her to ask her a few questions.

Q Congratulations on the wedding! How have you been juggling that along with everything else?

A It’s been really, really intense. I’m not going to lie. The two weeks before I went to Majorca for my wedding I was in Stafford living there for rehearsals for the tour.

So I’m there in Stafford trying to navigate the show and learn everything properly and rehearse my songs and then also I was getting emails and WhatApps every single minute of the day regarding my wedding and the finer details.

It kind of took its toll a bit, but I managed to do it all and that’s what I wanted to do...I’ll be happy that I’ve done it all in the end, but it’s really intense.

Q Are you still in that newly-wed bubble at the moment?

A To be honest, I don’t think that married life feels that different.

It’s funny, everyone says that. It’s just us, married.

But it’s lovely.

We had a lovely time and it was just lovely to be in Majorca celebrating.

Q How have you found rehearsals? Are you absolutely exhausted?

A I’m OK. But it’s a really full-on show.

There’s only four of us in it, so we’ve all got quite a lot of songs and a lot of lines to learn, so I am really nervous.

But I just think it’s something that I’ve been wanting to do since I was a little girl.

I went to stage school for 18 years growing up, so to be back on stage performing and doing what I love, it’s just really exciting and it’s a really feel-good girly show, that’s just really funny and a proper girls night out.

Q What appealed to you about Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!?

A It’s a lovely girly show with an all-women cast with loads of amazing songs.

And it’s really old school music which I love and a really, really funny script.

I just saw it and thought, this is perfect for me.

Q Are there any theatres you are really looking forward to performing at?

A Well, my opening night is in Essex – which is insane. And then the second night is in Basildon which all my friends and family are coming to, so that will be crazy, because obviously that’s near to home.

Q Where do you most like to go out in Essex?

A Well, I’d always say Sheesh because it’s just such an amazing restaurant and I’ve been going there for absolute years and the food is just divine as well as the décor and everything else.

There’s also a lovely little place in Abridge called Boardeli’s, next to the Blue Boar which I love. It’s a little Italian and it’s really quaint and lovely.

Q Growing up, where were your favourite Essex haunts?

A My God. It was always Nu Bar, 195, and Faces, they were the three major places I used to go to.

Q Workwise, what does 2022 have in store for you?

A I mean there are so many things I’m doing and so many things I want to do.

I’m the face of Simone Thomas Wellness, which is a vitamin brand and I want to do lots more with that because I’m all about wellbeing now.

I think at my age it’s important to take care of yourself, even more so than ever.

So I think I’ll go down that health journey and see what the future holds.

Q What’s your top wellbeing tip?

A To be honest, just take your vitamins.

I’ve been doing Simone Thomas for the last year and that is probiotics and super greens and skin quenchers which are good for your skin.

I also have a green juice most mornings which I make up a batch of at the beginning of the week and that really helps me with my skin.

So I’d say just what you put in, you get out.

Our bodies are machines at the end of the day.

• Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! will be at Charter Hall, Colchester, on Friday, and the Towngate Theatre, Basildon, on Saturday. Visit justwannahavefun.co.uk.