EVERY woman likes a bit of glitz and glamour in her life and Rula Lenska is no exception. The 56-year-old actor, who is touring with the hit West End show The Vagina Monologues this autumn, believes diamonds really are a girl’s best friend.

She says if her private parts had to dress-up, they would be adorned either in glittering diamonds or deep emeralds.

The Vagina Monologues is a collection of more than 200 of women’s most intimate stories about subjects like birth, sex, orgasms and relationships. I assume from her openness Lenska did not have any qualms about performing some of the show’s more taboo material.

“I have never liked the c -word but I do recognise it is hated by women because it is used by men as the biggest possible insult. During the show we look at it purely as a word.” Lenska is one of many female performers to take a part in the show, including, in the past, Tamara Beckworth and Jerry Hall. She comes from a Polish background and says she drew on this heritage to bring something different to it.

“We have a complete freedom as to how we characterise the women so I have made one of mine east European because of my background and I thought it fitted in with the piece.

What else has she brought to the role?

“Middle-age,” she laughes. “An understanding, having lived through several years as a woman, through the 70s and the 80s. I’ve been through a very wide range of how those parts of the body are regarded and how they’re talked about.” Was she encouraged to be open about her body as a child?

“There were no taboos. Obviously it wasn’t something you sat around at the dinner table discussing openly but I was quite happy with nudity both from my parents and from myself. We weren’t one of those anal Victorian families where it was all hush, hush and forbidden, which I think is very unhealthy.

“My mother was a hugely strong woman who went through an incredibly difficult life, She escaped from Poland, she was in a concentration camp and was humiliated, brutalised and tortured. She was a phenomenally strong woman. Sadly she is no longer with us. All the female members of her family I knew were also strong. I think my life is surrounded by strong women.” Unfortunately, Lenska has not seen the BBC Three comedy Little Britain, which picks fun at her ex-partner Denis Waterman. She experienced a bitter split from the actor and would be forgiven for having adopted a man-hating outlook. I asked her if she considers herself a feminist but she is surprisingly sympathetic to the plight of modern men.

“I’m not a sort of bra-burning, die-hard feminist. I believe in equality and I believe woman are as capable as men but I don’t believe women should be trying to usurp a man’s position. In fact, a lot of unhappiness is because we’ve tried to turn the tables in such a way we’ve emasculated men and they’re not quite certain who or what they’re supposed to be any more.” Lenska has appeared in many theatre productions and television shows, such as Boon, Minder, The Saint and One Foot in the Grave. Does she think women have achieved equality in her profession or have they got a long way still to go.

“I assume men are paid more than women, like in any job. What I do know is there is a shortage of good parts for women,” she explained.

“I don’t think that’s got anything to do with feminism. Certainly in the classics there are more decent parts for men — particularly middle-aged men — than there are for women and it seems to have followed on into contemporary writing.” I have often seen Lenska described as an “evergreen actress” and she is certainly well turned-out. In a world where surgery can take years off your face and you are fighting with hundreds of other actresses for a limited number of roles, surely Lenska has felt the draw of the surgeon’s knife?

“I think one would be lying to say there isn’t a pressure now. Fifteen years ago I would have said in no way was there a temptation to interfere with nature. Now, of course, there is a temptation because everybody does it.

“It’s an eternal battle if one has at some point in their career been regarded as (whatever this word means) glamorous. It’s flattering but at the same time it’s a narrow word. If you say someone is glamorous it usually means there is nothing below that glamour, so one has to prove there is deeper stuff in you than just your looks.” That is very revealing — and it is such a shame men never face that challenge!

You can see Rula Lenska in Vagina Monologues, Churchill Theatre, High Street, Bromley, now-Oct 25, Mon-Thurs & Sat 7.45pm, Fri 6pm & 9pm, Sat mat 2.30pm, £21.50-£15, 0870 060 6620