THE original calendar girl has experienced an emotional reunion with the nurses who treated her husband at both Airedale and St James’s Hospitals.

Ahead of the afternoon dress rehearsal of 'The Girls' musical at Leeds Grand Theatre on Saturday, Angela Baker met with Sue Rabett, the last nurse to treat John Baker before he died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 1998.

It was the first time Mrs Baker, who lives in Skipton, had seen Ms Rabett since John’s death.

Ms Rabett was joined by colleagues from St James’s, as well as a group who cared for John in the early stages of his treatment at Airedale Hospital.

The group were among a packed audience of cancer nurses and patients who were treated to the first glimpse of Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s new musical inspired by the story of Mrs Baker, her husband John and the alternative Women's Institute calendar.

Collections will be held for blood cancer charity Bloodwise – formerly known as Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research and long associated with the Calendar Girls’ story – after each performance.

It is hoped the musical will add to the £3 million the Girls have already raised for the charity.

It was the death of Mrs Baker’s husband John that led to the calendar.

What started as a saucy idea to raise cash for a new sofa for Airedale Hospital's waiting-room led to the ladies of Rylstone and District WI baring all for a calendar they suspected might never see the light of day.

Photographed by Terry Logan in the women's own homes, the Alternative WI Calendar was all about tasteful nudity, Jam and Jerusalem style, with the women pictured arranging flowers, pouring tea and painting watercolours.

Within its first week the calendar had sold out, and during the following year, hundreds of thousands of copies were sold on both sides of the Atlantic.

The women's unlikely story was made into a hit movie with a star-studded cast, led by Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, then a stage play that enjoyed West End runs and sell-out UK tours, starring everyone from Lynda Bellingham to Jerry Hall.

It was reported to be the most successful play ever to tour the UK, taking £21 million more at the box office than the film.

When the play ended its professional run, the rights were handed to amateur theatre, beginning with a Grassington Players' production, which raised more than £5,000.

Since the original calendar, there have been several new versions, along with a range of merchandise, from preserves to gardening tools.

Performances of The Girls musical at Leeds Grand Theatre run until December 12.