A PANTO wouldn't be a panto if at the end everyone lived happily ever after, but for two of the actors in the Everyman's seasonal offering the fairytale ending really becomes reality when the curtain goes down.

Because at the end of the Cheltenham theatre's production of Cinderella, the good Fairy Godmother and the Ugly Sister Drusilla put all their troubles behind them and return to their cosy little house in the spa town.

What would the evil stepmother say?

While the pair may be arch rivals on the stage, Angie Bain the Fairy Godmother and Ged McKenna the ugly sister are in reality married.

We are both very chuffed to be on the same panto usually at this time of year couples who are both in the profession find themselves in different parts of the country and hardly get to see one another, said the 42-year-old actress.

It has been great working with Ged and we are having a great time. But we both feel very lucky to be in this production which is one of the best I have worked on.

The production has a very strong cast, the gags are for both the adults and the children and the design of the

sets are breathtaking.

I am sure audiences will have a great time watching it.

But 45-year-old Ged added working with his spouse not only meant they saw each other, it also meant they could experiment with their characters.

Normally you are in digs and have to learn your lines by yourself, he said.

But because we're together we have learnt our scripts quicker and really bounced ideas about each other's character off one another. We feel we have developed very strong characters.

The quicker you can learn the part the more you can play with it, so like Angela am confident audiences will have a great time at the show. It really is a top script with superb gags and a brilliant cast.

Tickets to the show, which cost between £5 and £14, are available from the theatre's box office on 01242 572573. The production, which has started, runs until Saturday, January 12.