Lesley Joseph has encouraged this year’s Strictly Come Dancing contestants to “take it for what it is” and urged them not to get upset if they go wrong.

The Birds Of A Feather star competed in the series in 2016, when she was paired with Anton Du Beke before losing out in the dance off in the fifth week.

Strictly Come Dancing 2016
Lesley Joseph and Anton Du Beke (Guy Levy/BBC)

She told the Press Association:  “I would just say take it for what it is, enjoy it, learn the dances, put your heart and soul into it but don’t get upset if you go wrong or get voted out.

“It’s not real life, it is what it is and it’s beautiful but it’s not real life, it’s a fantasy and just enjoy it for what it is.”

Strictly Come Dancing 2016
Lesley Joseph with Anton Du Beke (Guy Levy/BBC)

Saturdays singer Mollie King, This Morning star Ruth Langsford, JLS singer Aston Merrygold and Paralympic champion Jonnie Peacock are among the celebrities taking part in the new series.

Joseph will next be seen in a new TV series in which she is joined by other stars to explore the UK in motorhomes  and said driving the huge vehicles brought a different kind of stress to rehearsals for Strictly.

She said: “It was quite full on, we had long days, there was a lot to do and get in.

Melvyn Hayes, Lesley Joseph, Don Warrington, Cleo Rocos, Nick Heyward (Channel 5)

“I won’t say it as the most relaxed of shoots because it wasn’t. I had to drive two and a half tonnes of truck and then when you got where you got you were exploring.

“It’s a different pressure. There wasn’t the pressure that you get with Strictly, Strictly was something very unique as we know, this was very different.”

The new series sees Joseph sharing a motorhome with Cleo Rocos as they hit the road with Don Warrington, Melvyn Hayes and Nick Heyward.

She said: “It was such a fun, I laughed from beginning to end of the day.

Lesley with her Celebrity 5 Go Motorhoming colleages (Channel 5)

“I had no idea what being in a motorhome was going to be like. I had met Cleo before but didn’t really know her well but we really did laugh all the time and we really got into it, we really enjoyed the whole experience.”

Joseph enjoyed it so much she said she would happily embark on another trip in a motorhome  just for fun.

She said: “I would do it again, I wouldn’t buy one because whatever they cost is too expensive.

Lesley checks a map with her co-stars(Channel 5)

“The thing that was so good was you could go anywhere, you don’t have to rely on getting a train at the certain time or external factors, you relied on yourself the only thing you had to do when you go to the campsite was plug in the electrics.

“We had times in the middle of the night when everything stopped working, when the water was off and the loo stopped working but that just leads to hysterics, Cleo and I laughed all the time.

“We would get to 11 o’clock and the tequila would come out and the jar of peanut butter and that was it. ”

Celebrity 5 Go Motorhoming is on Channel 5 on September 1 at 8pm.