Zoe Lyons turns tough times into comedy for Worthing date

“Well, I have suffered these things so that you don't have to have them!,” she laughs. “I take it on for the rest of you!” Zoe brings her Bald Ambition Tour to the Pavilion Theatre Atrium, Worthing, February 25 at 8pm and also The Hawth, Crawley on Wednesday, April 19 also at 8pm.

And the title alone gives you an idea of one of the troubles she has endured in recent times. She lost her hair – though she is happy to report that it's now growing back again.

It was all part and parcel of the tough time we all went through during the pandemic: “I don't think it was at all random that all these things happened during the pandemic. That was the kicking-off point for a lot of people in terms of what happened to them. It was a tough time particularly for people like myself who lost all their living in one go. My career has always balanced on uncertainty from the beginning and I was in a lucky position where I had been very busy for a few years before the pandemic. It gave me time to think and have a bit of space... and also have a quite spectacular midlife crisis. I’d earnt it!

"I’d worked really hard for my midlife crisis, but it wasn’t coincidental that it happened at a time when we were all going through so much and we all had to address this global situation.

"I turned 50 as well and my partner and I split up for a year during the pandemic.

"We're back together now. But we had been together for an awful long time, 24 or 25 years, and like a lot of people that have been together for a long time you fall into a pattern which you then realise means the relationship is not properly functioning as you would want it to. So we had what we now call a gap year. We didn't think we would come back together. That wasn't necessarily the exact intention but we are very happy that we have done.”

During her midlife crisis Zoe also got a sports car, and it was around about the time that her hair fell out just because of the stress of everything – but fortunately it is currently coming back

“So I had this sports car and I had this comb-over and it was like every middle-aged man's dream come true, driving around in a sports car with wisps of hair over my head.

"But I got rid of it on the day I saw a chap in the same car looking exactly the same in the Waitrose car park. I got rid of it after that. But at least it was Waitrose! But the other slight irony of having a sports car when you're in your 50s is your hips can't take it. If you spend a lot of time that close to the ground you are going to put your hips out and I spent hundreds and hundreds pounds on physio!

"But now things are really good.

"I'm looking forward to getting back on tour. I'm really am. I've always loved it but I just feel incredibly fortunate to be doing this now especially after a time when I was quite fearful I would ever be able to go back on stage. I had to consider the prospect that I would not be able to go back on stage and it really affected my confidence but I've been able to address all that and I'm so pleased to be back.”

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