A former soap star went deaf for the day to learn more about life with a hearing condition.

Radlett resident Pam St Clement, known for her role as Pat Butcher on BBC’s Eastenders, was keen to learn more about how to cope with day-to-day living without the sense.

The 71-year-old took on the challenge for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, a charity which trains dogs to alert their deaf owners about sounds including the doorbell and smoke alarms.

Speaking about her experience, she said: “It was hard. The obvious thing was the isolation, I felt as though I was in a bubble within myself. Approaching or speaking was not easy.

“I could not hear a lot of things. Being in a cafe was difficult; I could lip read when it was one person to concentrate on but when it was two people, I lost half the conversation.

“That sort of concentration is very exhausting.”

After the day, she met Stephen Taylor and his hearing dog Echo to discuss her experience and learn about how life changing a hearing dog can be.

Having experienced first-hand the difficulty of hearing loss, she is now encouraging people to donate to the charity to enable more dogs to be trained.

She added: “Having been deaf for the day, I realised how many challenges they face, but I can see the comfort and support Stephen gets from his dog.

“Help this charity create more of these life-changing partnerships by making a donation today.”

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/deaffortheday