Helen Lederer has revealed her most lucrative job on screen, and it wasn’t on Coronation Street or Absolutely Fabulous.

Although Helen, 69, is most famous for her role in Ab Fab, the actress once made over £70,000 in one day – admitting that she was paid a lot more for doing an advert than playing the iconic character of Catriona in the BBC programme.

As it turns out, the much-loved actress made her staggering £70,000 in a day by advertising dishwasher tablets back in the eighties. “By the 80s, I was working a lot on TV and then I landed two adverts: one for Advocaat, the other for Finish dishwasher tablets – and they paid ridiculously well. I frittered it all on clothes.”

“I was paid £70,000 for a day-and-a-half’s work and that was twenty years ago – one day to say the lines, half-a-day to show my hand inserting the tablet. I went to Donna Karan – the proper posh shop, not DKNY – in Bond Street and bought a coat for £300. So yes, I’m a spender. I hate meanness. My attitude is that, if the money’s there, spend it,” she told The Telegraph.

Last month, Helen joined the cast of Coronation Street as Ken Barlow’s latest love interest. In scenes which aired in late March, Ken tried to encourage his former son in law Steve McDonald to get back out on the dating scene following his split from Tracy Barlow. However, as they sat down in a hotel bar for a drink, it ended up being Ken that got the attention off a lady called Elspeth, played by Helen, who was also in the bar.

Fans loved seeing Helen on the show and called for her to join the soap permanently. One wrote: “Welcome to Corrie @HelenLederer. I like her. Can #Corrie #CoronationStreet @itvcorrie keep her please,” whilst a second took to social media to share: “I’m already loving Helen Lederer (Elspeth) as Ken’s new love interest! #Corrie.”

Helen shared her excitement at being offered a role on the ITV soap – and hasn’t ruled out a permanent position on the show. Asked how her role came about, she shared: “It came out of the blue but for me Coronation Street, of all the soaps, is the most substantial and ironic with such humour, it’s really a class act. So when you get the call for Coronation Street you drop everything.