So what would you say to Johnny Rotten.?

Actress was 13 when she saw punk rock idol and told him to 'f*** off'

- MARK JEFFERIES

KATHY Burke's rise to the status of national treasure has involved moments that are just as funny as some of the comedy shows she has been in.

But not everything about her life has been a barrel of laughs.

The 61-year-old actress, theatre director and documentary presenter has written a brilliant new book about the highs and lows of the first four decades of her life.

She was just two when her mum died.

Kathy and her two brothers were then brought up by their alcoholic dad, who was prone to lashing out. Food and money were often tight for the family from Islington, North London. But Kathy got into a theatre school and her big break came in 1982 borstal movie Scrubbers.

Here are some of her many highlights...

On meeting Sex Pistols singer Johnny Rotten when she was a wannabe punk

Aged 13, Kathy would loiter outside the Hope and Anchor pub to try to catch a glimpse of her idols. One day she spotted Johnny Rotten.

He looked over from the crowd and said: "Hello, little girl." Nervous and keen to impress, Kathy thought hard before replying: "F*** off, Johnny." It earned her a laugh from him and his pals.

On writing the play Mr Thomas and getting Ray Winstone involved

Before she was a big name, Kathy wrote the play and planned to stage it in 1990 in the theatre above a pub she frequented.

Spotting actor Ray necking a pint, she gave him a script and urged him to read it even though he did not seem overly interested.

He called her the next day, saying: "Did you write that? All on your own?" He agreed to take part, and Mr Thomas was a success, helping to rejuvenate Ray's career.

He and Kathy starred in film Nil By Mouth later in the decade.

On winning top award