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RICHARD Whiteley is one of the most unlikely TV pin-ups. His bumbling but lovable nature, eccentric dress sense and infamous puns have helped turn him into a cult figure.
When it comes to women, he's got an army of middle-aged groupies. But what's it like being his girlfriend?
I arrive at LWT's headquarters to meet the woman who has the answer. She is Kathryn Apanowicz - who played Dirty Den's mistress in EastEnders and more recently reporter Helen Ackroyd in Emmerdale.
I was told he fell in love with Kathryn's strong personality and her ability to make him chuckle. I'd say he has got Kathryn down to a T. It takes a lot for me to go red - and she makes me do just that.
Serves me right, really, for asking if she gets jealous of the knitted sweaters that he receives by the sack-load.
"That's Giles Brandeth, silly! He's the one with the jumpers. Richard has lots of ties and jackets! You don't watch the programme do you?" she says.
"Err, no," I reply, going the colour of a tomato. "I'm afraid I'm at work."
"It is up to Richard what he wears, " she assures me. "I'm not responsible for his clothes. Richard is his own man."
I don't mind putting my foot in it because that's 40-year-old Kathryn for you. Blunt, blunt and blunt - but witty with it. As soon as I meet her, I know why she is the perfect match for Richard.
WHILE he is cuddly and eccentric, she is tall, curvaceous and stylish in an alternative kind of way.
Kathryn, who was also Rovers barmaid Carol Starkey in Coronation Street, is wearing brown loafers, red socks and a white shirt tucked into blue jeans. But it's her navy sports jacket with gold badge that catches my eye. I don't think I've met many women who own a jacket like that.
Kathryn strikes me...