STRICTLY Come Dancing star Lisa Riley stepped out in Bury on Saturday to sign copies of her new autobiography for fans after a whirlwind 12 months.

Aptly titled Never Judge a Book by its Cover, the autobiography documents Lisa’s career and personal life in her trademark funny, girl-next-door, manner.

The actress, from Tottington, greeted fans in WH Smith in the Mill Gate shopping centre.

Lisa first became a TV favourite as Mandy Dingle in ITV1 soap Emmerdale where she stayed for six and a half years, and which acted as a springboard for various roles on TV and stage.

She also became a self-styled advocate for larger women, proudly showing off her plus-size curves at red carpet ceremonies.

More recently, Lisa’s life has been consumed with Strictly Come Dancing where she won the nation’s hearts and waltzed her way to the semi-finals of last year’s show.

But her joy was overshadowed with the grief of losing her mum Cath, who died aged 57 from cancer, just three weeks before the show began.

Spurred on to perform in her mum’s memory, Lisa proved an inspiration on the primetime show — and after stints on Strictly’s sister programme It Takes Two this year, she has now been asked to present the 2014 arena shows.

Lisa said: “Because of my size it’s great that I have inspired people of all sizes to get up and dance. I have had my ups and downs, but I don’t think anyone has the right to judge anybody else. I wasn’t sure at 37 I was ready to write an autobiography. But if people want to know my story, I’ll tell it. I’m so proud of my Bury roots. I’m in London a lot and once I was on the train back home and there was no seat available because it was so busy. Everybody asked if I was going back up north and I said, ‘yes, it’s so worth it’.”

Despite her success, down-to-earth Lisa has no plans to hire a team to look after her.

She said: “That’s what I was like in Strictly — a girl next door — and that’s what I am. I pride myself in that.

“You can get wrapped up in the London lifestyle with having a PA and being a member of the ‘glam squad’ — but I still do my own admin stuff and make my own coffees.

“I will never forget Michael Bublé was on Strictly and I was like the most stupid teenager ever — so star struck. But he knew who I was and I was like, ‘oh my god!’ It made my day.”

n—The Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour visits the Phones4u Arena on February 6 and 7.