A SELL-OUT audience were treated to an amazingly honest performance from comedienne, actress all round entertainer Dawn French in Cardiff last night (Wednesday July 16).

Her solo show is based on her down to earth autobiography Dear Fattie where she takes us on a tour of her life.

The title of the show is how many minutes Dawn has been on this earth and how precious time is so don’t waste a minute.

She had us laughing, crying and enraptured as she brought to life her memories.

This included a childhood meeting with the Queen Mother while her dad served in the RAF. Aged just three she expected this special person to at least arrive in a gold carriage led with unicorns so was very disappointed when the Queen Mother got out of a car and walked up the path to her house.

But all Dawn remembers is doing a curtesy she had practised for hours only to come face to face with the royal person who smiled with a mouth full of black teeth!

So to her young mind of course this meant she was really a witch. And there was TV film capturing the moment when tiny Dawn is seen hiding behind her mum and dad after greeting the Queen Mum.

We rocked with laughter as she described antics of her loving family including the time her rogue nan Fag Ash Lil tried to do her out of £100 when her mum said she could sell some jewellery so she could go on a school trip.

Then she had some of us in tears as she recalled the suicidal death of her beloved dad and the giant hole his death left in her family. Aged 19 she hadn’t realised he struggled with dark depression which he managed to hide from those close to him.

He gave her a precious gift of self-belief which has stayed with her through good and bad times.

Bad times when her and Lenny Henry tried to have children, the tests, IVF, getting pregnant then losing the baby. Their joy at adopting their georgous daughter Billy and the sadness of realising after 30 years that her and Len’s marriage was over.

She also touched on the speculation surrounding her weight loss – she did it on advice from her doctor so she could have a vital op – and she hated the time she lived a miserable calorie counting existence!

After vowing to be single and never marry again Dawn has found a new love and she is keeping it almost private but you can tell she is happy with her lot, her new family courtesy of her new husband and her beloved family and friends.

Dawn French – comedienne, author, actress, wife, mother, sister, auntie, friend – is also an amazing performing who let you into her heart – and her fans rewarded her with a standing ovation. We didn’t want the night and the revelations to end. Can’t wait till she comes back again. This tour ends on Friday.