CLEO Rocos co-starred in the Kenny Everett Television Show on the BBC in the late 1970s and 80s. She has appeared in numerous TV programmes since and has also fronted her one-woman show in Los Angeles. In 2007 she appeared in Celebrity Big Brother. She is now most famous for role in the Tequila industry and is president of the Tequila society. For more information visit www.cleorocos.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at @cleorocos1

What was your first car? 

It was a used Hillman Imp which was the size of a portable refrigerator. I bought it from my brother for £15.

The Northern Echo: THE WORST CAR EVAH! Hillman Imp

How many times did it take to pass your test?

I passed my test the second time. My first lessons were with a recommended local driving school in South Kensington where I lived at the time. It was in a red Ford and the old Irish Instructor use to roll his cigarettes, smoke, swear and bash me on the arm when I did something wrong. I failed my first test because a driver in a Jaguar cut me up and I shouted at him that I was on my test. I passed my second test with the British School of Motoring.

The Northern Echo: Darlington FC youth team are put through a safer driving scheme run by BSM and the Professional Footballers' Association

Who would be your ideal fantasy passenger and where would you go?

The Northern Echo: Russell Crowe's manager denied a report that the actor had been banned from a pub

My ideal road trip would be to drive across the Southern USA and down into the highlands of Mexico with Russell Crowe and Oprah Winfrey. We are all massive tequila fans and the three of us would have a blast discovering new tequila bars along the way.

What is your dream car?

Bugatti Type 57 C Vanvooren Cabriolet. It is a proper car with thighs and to drive it is a memorable occasion and true pleasure. I am not enthralled by modern cars because they are made of carbon fibre, carcinogenic plastics and too computerised. I like my car to be made of metal and smell of leather. This car has a real engine, throbbing mechanics, and cannot be started from a satellite or electronically tracked.

The Northern Echo:

How would you describe your driving style?

Fast .

Tell me one driving anecdote from your past?

The Northern Echo: Billy Connolly

During the filming of a sketch for the BBC with Kenny Everett as my passenger I needed to drive into the studio and stop beside Billy Connolly who was sitting at a table having a cocktail. They had put a rug on the floor and when I braked, the car kept going and Billy screamed and jumped out of his chair. I recall him saying: "******* hell Cleo, you nearly killed me!"

What are you listening to?

The Northern Echo: Chloe Howl is supporting The Feeling at the first Middlehaven Fesitval this summer in Middlesbrough.

The radio, mostly rock, Paloma Faith, Raul Malo and a new artist Chloe Howl, above.

What do you drive now?

I live in London so I do not drive a car. My days are packed with business meetings and having a car is not practical for being anywhere on time.