When Julian Clary says it's like a happy family backstage at his pantomime, it's true.

The comedian, who is starring in Cinderella at the Theatre Royal in Brighton, has invited his sister Frankie Castro to be his personal dresser and assistant.

What's more, the duo are sharing a haunted house.

The pairing, which has seen Frankie fly in from her home in Majorca, was Julian's idea.

He said: "I was thinking I would be in Brighton for six weeks on my own and I thought it might be a tad miserable going home to an empty flat every night, so I asked Frankie to help.

"I would have been all right if she had decided not to do it but now it means I have someone to talk to, to sit and watch TV with and we have lunch together before coming to the theatre every day."

Frankie and Julian are sharing the former home of actress Dame Flora Robson.

Without a flicker of a smile Julian, 41, said: "We think it's haunted. She pushed my sister down the stairs the other day and stole her hairbrush!"

Frankie is four years older than her brother. They grew up in Teddington, Middlesex.

Frankie said: "There's a comfortableness about working with family. It's easier somehow and I am more than just Julian's dresser - I am more of a personal assistant. He gets me to do all his shopping."

Frankie, a professional dancer and choreographer, introduced Julian to showbusiness and has starred in several pantomimes with veterans like Barbara Windsor and Frankie Howerd.

Her brother had to be persuaded to try his hand at the genre and it was Frankie who finally persuaded him to have a go.

She said: "If the truth be known I would rather be on the stage myself than be a dresser but this is a way I can be a part of the whole experience."