Inside Sarah Hadland's sweet friendship with Miranda co-star Miranda Hart

The Strictly star revealed to The Observer that she initially didn’t think she would get along with Miranda, telling them: "I remember looking her up on the internet and thinking, 'We have nothing in common, you're posh.'

"I was told a gazillion times: 'You will not be an actress'. I was the only person on That Mitchell and Webb Look who hadn’t been to Oxbridge. They were very sweet – just occasionally I’d get a clue on the cryptic crossword."

However, the pair became very close while working on the show, with Sarah telling The Sun: "I feel lucky to have done a job that has given me a good friend for life."

Chatting about the Miranda celebration and reuniting with the cast, Miranda said: "I can tell you that my tiny elf of a friend in ‘Stevie’ was of course there by my side, as Sarah Hadland often is in real life and Stevie always is for Miranda.

"Oh it’s sheer delight to be with them again. Us four girls - Sarah, Patricia Hodges, Sally Phillips, and myself are dear friends, and there is always much silliness."

Sarah added: "Miranda and I have many weird little sayings that make us laugh but probably mean we are insane. It is so lovely working with people you get on with and know so well - we're all very supportive of each other and I feel so lucky to be part of this gang."

Sarah revealed that the pair have been on holiday together, as well as visiting Uganda for Comic Relief - and fans were delighted to see that they are good pals in real life. She said: "We do meet up a lot and when we're out and about people do love that!

"We've been on a few holidays together and it does freak people out. I can't reach the overhead locker, so I was doing a little jump and she was absolutely loving it. I did a big jump and fell onto the floor, and you could see people thinking, 'Is this being filmed?'"

Speaking about how her friend helped her through illness during their trip to Uganda, Sarah told the BBC: "Miranda and I also went to Uganda for Sport Relief in January, which was a very humbling and eye-opening experience I will never forget.

"What people may not know is that she is a brilliant nurse. I got very ill, and we were stranded on an island on a lake. She looked after me so well. I have always teased her for carrying round odd bits of food and various medicines in her bag, but her Mary Poppins bag saved me and she was such a good nurse."

The sitcom star has recently re-emerged in public life after years struggling with chronic illness, having written a book I Haven't Entirely Been Honest with You about her experiences with Lyme disease. During an appearance, she revealed that she had tied the knot, saying: "I'm married, I got married at 51 and it's just so lovely! It wasn’t until I was 49 that I met my person."

She continued: "It's a little undercurrent in the book. I'm not going to reveal how we met because that's a bit of a twist. He's my best friend, we have the best fun and I'm just thrilled to be a young bride at 51."

Speaking about her joy at Miranda getting married, Sarah told Closer: "I’m absolutely over the moon for her. When you have a dear friend and they find the love of their life… I’m just so happy."

Sarah opened up about the return of Miranda back in 2015 - and if they would ever make a movie. Chatting on Loose Women, she explained: "I think, hopefully she'll do a film. I keep saying, 'Please do a film!' I think she will, but maybe have a big of a break. It was such a big thing ending the show, she needs a bit of time."

While the cast did reunite to mark the show's 10-year anniversary back in 2019 for Miranda: My Such Fun Celebration, there hasn't been any plans for a movie - yet!