I used to get nervous for Elaine before a show, but not any more. She likes to be really well prepared for a role; she's very hard on herself. I'd never want to put myself through that kind of stress.

She is confident when she talks about singing and stagecraft, surprisingly diffident when it comes to anything outside her field.

Three years ago, around Christmas, when she was starring in The King and I in London, Mum was diagnosed with cancer. Elaine thought she should come out of the …

I never expected to like her at all - she has quite a reputation for being difficult and once told a male interviewer that she would no longer give interviews …