PANTOMIME star Sheila Ferguson has spoken at length about the racial abuse aimed at her as she performed on stage at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre.

The former Three Degrees singer, who is playing the fairy godmother in Cinderella, revealed she was heckled every time she walked onto the stage.

Writing in The Stage, the magazine of the theatre industry, Miss Ferguson said: “[The] level of news coverage was such that there will be many people much further afield than Canterbury who were made aware of the ugly dudes who hurled racist remarks at me.”

Earlier this month, the Kentish Gazette exclusively revealed that the incident took place during a show on December 2.

Miss Ferguson went on: “It seems to me that there are still many well-meaning people who would prefer to take a fairy godmother approach to the topic and simply wish it would go away.

“Well, it won’t. And sadly, far from being skinheaded, swastika-adorned, pantomime villains, the majority of people who hold racist ideas look just like me and you and are just as likely to be sitting beside us at a family show as they are to be attending political rallies.”

Miss Ferguson added that the level of support for her has been staggering: “I have received hundreds of letters, flowers and cards all apologising for what happened.

“These letters, cards and flowers have really shown me the texture and quality of the people who live in and around this beautiful city.”

Canterbury police are exploring the possibility that the racist may have been part of a block-booking. CCTV of the theatre is also being examined.