YOU get one job in a brothel and bang goes your reputation laughs Shappi Khorsandi, who presents England's unsung heroine Emma. Lady Hamilton in her brand new show Mistress and Misfit, which arrives in Southampton tomorrow night.

Fresh from her stint on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here, the celebrated comedian is taking to the road with her take on an inspiring woman from history.

For too many years she has been known as just Nelson's mistress and a bit of a harlot. Women's lib wasn't a thing in Georgian times. Emma moved mountains to haul herself from scullery maid to Lady Hamilton ... and yes, she occasionally danced naked on tables to get ahead in life, but who hasn't? As a fellow naked dancer on tables, Shappi raises a glass to the woman England betrayed.

Shappi told the Daily Echo: "I'm really interested in naval history anyway and Emma was a character I visited during a play at school who really captured my imagination at the age of 11.

"I was really struck by how Horatio Nelson, arguably Britain's greatest naval hero who has a statue in Trafalgar Square, went into the Battle of Trafalgar asking his country to look after Emma in the event of his death and how we didn't keep his wish.

"I talk about her story and I talk about my story and it's funny. All I really care about is people having a good time.

"There are parallels between us in that she life modelled for Romney and I life modelled for GCSE students in Tower Hamlets!

"Women's lack of financial independence in those days really rang out for me whereas I have always had financial independence and was never expected to marry someone with a good job. As a single mother, I've probably taken it a bit far to be honest!

"Emma was a mother at the age of 16. She wrote a letter to the aristocrat who took her in and made her give up her baby saying you don't know how I love her and I hope you can forgive yourself although I cannot. I read that out, along with an email I wrote to the father of my baby who didn't want to know. They're rather different! There but for the grace of 200 years go I!"

Star of Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News for You and Q.I. Shappi is back on the road with her 2017 sell out Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, which gets under way in Bath tonight and visits 50 UK venues.

Tickets for tomorrow's NST Campus date are on sale now from 023 8067 1771 or nstheatres.co.uk