TV beauty Hayley Tamaddon is best known for playing Delilah Dingle in Emmerdale , she was crowned Dancing On Ice queen earlier this year and will soon be starring in BBC drama series Waterloo Road. She talks hair, make-up and mud chambers with Queen Bee Beauty.

Hayley, even though it's belated... congrats on winning dancing on ice! We can see it's kept you fit, do you still get to skate and keep up its demands?

At the minute, I'm actually doing a skating show next week. I'll be skating with Daniel Whiston who was my partner in the show and with Kyron Bracken who won a couple of years ago for Kyran's Ice Party This is going to be my first real skate since I won and did the tour, so it's going to be really exciting. I've been a few times and had a couple of lessons but because I'm on tour at the minute, doing the musical Spamalot, I just don't get the chance to really skate much which is dreadful. So this show is going to be a real test as to whether I've kept it up. I had a lesson last week and I coped, but I was shattered. I'm looking forward to it though.

Do you have to wear a lot of make-up for the shows like Spamalot and do you like getting glammed up or do you prefer dress down days?

I like a bit of both. It's nice to get dressed up and put on a bit of make-up. But I'm also not afraid to put my trackies on and have a down day where I don't really wear much make-up. Generally in the daytime I wear a bit of mascara and a bit of bronzer and blusher and lip gloss and I'm fine. At night time, especially as I'm doing this musical, I wear so much make up and wear so much glitter as well; so during the day it's kind of nice to not wear much and get away from it. Obviously if I go out at night I like to get made up, but I actually wear less make-up now than I used to wear when I was younger - which is bizarre.

What would be the one make up essential you couldn't do without?

Oh God if I could only choose one I think I would probably have to go for mascara. When you put a bit of mascara on, your eyes completely open up and you can get away without wearing much else. Bronzer I definitely couldn't do without either! If I can have two items I'd have a bit of bronzer and mascara!

Ok we'll let you have two! What's your all time favourite mascara? Have you found your ultimate brand?

I've got a couple actually. When it comes to make-up I've got quite a few different brands and I have so much make-up. But I love MAC, which I always used to use and still do. Then a couple of years ago my mum bought me some Dior make-up which I just thought 'wow this is amazing' especially the Blackout mascara, that is just fantastic and their lipsticks are gorgeous. Then when I did dancing on ice, Art Deco did our make-up every week and after I won the show they sent me a make up bag just filled with the most amazing make-up. It was the best present ever, and in there was just everything you could possibly want, like mascaras, eyeshadows, foundation and I started using it and it's all just gorgeous gorgeous stuff. They do a really good mascara and they do a really good foundation as well; it's like silk. So I've got all of their products now and I'm using them, especially in the show I'm in at the minute, as a lot of their stuff is quite shimmery and there's lots of glitter. So I'm using a lot of that. They've got an autumn range coming out and I'm going to be sampling that. They're going to send me some to try, so I'll let you know what they're like!

Yes please do! What do you tend to buy an abundance of at the beauty counters?

It's difficult with make-up as I get given so much of it, I tend not to have to buy it. I tell you what I did buy and it was so good I'm going back to buy more 'cos I'm running out. It's Chanel's Bronze Universal. It's a bit like a cream but it's hard, you apply it with a bristle brush, a tough bristle brush. You don't sponge it on and it's just divine, honestly. And I wear that without foundation sometimes when I'm in a hurry. I just put it on and it gives me a really nice glow.

When it comes to applying make-up, do you prefer doing your own or having someone do it for you?

I'm used to doing my own, but when it came to Dancing on Ice I just lay back in the chair. I had a great make-up girl called Charlotte and she knew exactly what I wanted. The only bit I can't let anyone do is my mascara and under eyeliner because I've got really sensitive eyes. If a little bit of makeup gets in my eyes they just stream and run for ages, so I do that bit myself. But everything else I'm quite happy to let someone else do!

What about when it comes to your hair? What products do you like?

I'm a really big on hair person and I've always taken great care of my hair. I've actually got extensions in at the minute and they're absolutely fantastic. I was never for extensions because I always thought they damage your hair, but I've had these done at White Cliffs salon in London and they are not glued in, they are tiny little metal clasps, and they just squeeze on to your own hair and they last for months. They're absolutely amazing. At the minute I've got really long hair right down my back and I just treat it like my own; it feels like my own, it's gorgeous.

My own hair is kind of short and in a little choppy bob. But at the moment I'm loving long hair so I'm using all sort of products on it. Let me think, oh I love Shu Uemura protective oil which is so good for you hair, it really nourishes and conditions it. And then I love all of the Bedhead (TIGI) products, like the After Party one in a pink tube; that's great and smells great. I could talk all day about hair products, I use so many! What else do I use? Aussie shampoo and conditioners and the Aussie de-tangle spray. Oh my God they smell divine! Cos my hair's really long now, they do all sorts for long hair. It just smells so good. I go into work and everyone's smelling my hair.

Hayley, what's your favourite salon/spa treatment?

For a nice relaxing weekend I go to Champney's in Henlow which is just gorgeous and I love it there. When I'm on tour, like I am at the minute, I always try and book myself into a hotel with a pool, a gym and a steam room so during the day I can chill out and relax. That breaks up the work thing then. I go to work at night and chill out in the steam room in the day! When it comes to salons, I'm not really one of those girls who goes for manicures and pedicures and things. I just never seem to have the time to do it. I guess my hair is my main thing. When I don't go to White Cliff's, I go to my salon in Leeds, The Cutting Room. When I go there they do scalp massages and treatments so my lovely hairdresser Jo sorts me out.

What's the wackiest beauty treatment you've ever experienced?

I've had something called a Rasul Mud Chamber at Champney's where you get smothered in mud, head-to-toe, and you go and sit in a chamber in just your knickers, so basically you've got nothing on else on! And you sit there while it sets. The chamber is pitch black with twinkly lights on the ceiling and they play really relaxing music, and you sit there and drift off while your mud sets! Then after, you shower and body brush yourself and get this gorgeous cream put all over your body and you come out feeling like silk!

You're 33. How do you feel about growing older? Should it be done gracefully or disgracefully?!

Oh gosh! Well at the minute I keep looking in the mirror and thinking 'Oh lord I'm seeing signs of being in my thirties and I'm getting wrinkles and laughter lines!' Oh God I absolutely hate it and I can feel myself getting older and I'd never noticed it before, but recently I'm like 'OK, maybe I can't pass for an 18-year-old anymore!' But as far as the Botox thing and all of that's concerned, as an actress it would possibly be a bad thing for me to do. I'm not for freezing. I have a very expressive face and I get a lot of work from being expressional! So it wouldn't be a good thing for me to do, but it's not that I'm against it. I think you should do what makes you happy. If you're miserable and you've got the money and you want to do it, then, hey, go and do it.

Who's your ultimate beauty icon and why?

Gosh, that's a hard question... I always love Cheryl Cole. I think she looks gorgeous all the time, she's absolutely beautiful. And then people like Dita Von Teese, who always looks so glamorous and elegant and her make-up is done to perfection.

And finally, what would be your beauty tip for Queen Bee readers?

Definitely drink lots of water. Always get a decent night's sleep - not that I have, ha! And eat lots of fruit and veg because your body will tell you if you're not. If you're eating a lot of crap and rubbish, you get spots and greasy skin and it really does show. If you eat and drink well , lots of water and lots of fruit and veg, then you're going to have good hair, good skin and good nails.


Hayley is currently on tour in Monty's Python's Spamalot. www.spamalotontour.co.uk

And she'll be taking part in Kyran Bracken's Ice party. For further details checkout www.kyransiceparty.co.uk