THEATRE star Glynis Barber has taken time out from her latest role to promote a North-East charity.

The 47-year-old star of The Graduate, being performed at Newcastle Theatre Royal, posed in pink to raise awareness of Cancer Research UK's latest campaign in the region.

Ms Barber, best known as Sergeant Harriet Makepeace in the 1980s detective series Dempsey and Makepeace, was joined by nurses Fiona Chapman and Sarah Heatley, from the Northern Centre for Cancer Treatment at Newcastle's General Hospital, and local fundraisers Suzanne Bunn and Jill Campbell.

They launched the Get in the Pink and Stride for Life campaigns to raise money for research into breast cancer.

Ms Barber said: "Breast Cancer affects thousands of women a year and has a devastating impact on families.

"I am delighted to 'Get in the Pink' to support Cancer Research UK and help make a difference."

Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women in the UK, about 4,000 women are diagnosed with the disease in the North each year.

To back the campaign, call 08701 602040.