London: Hustle star Kelly Adams will be sorry to say goodbye to her sexy screen alter-ego – because she taught her how to get what she wants. The actress has spent four years playing con woman Emma Kennedy, using her charms to take unsuspecting men for millions.
Now, with the eighth and final series of the BBC1 show about to begin, Kelly admits she's sad to be leaving Emma behind.
She said: "I do try to use tricks we've used on the show, like trying to charm people."
According to the Sun.co.uk, joining TV Biz for lunch at London's swanky Soho Hotel, newly brunette Kelly jokes with co-stars Matt Di Angelo and Adrian Lester about Emma's raunchy get-ups.
But she admits adopting Emma's flirty tactics doesn't always work.
She said: "When you're not in a short dress and heels, it doesn't work so well when you say, 'I'm sorry, is there a man here I can speak to at all?' "
Emma's infamous outfits include the Kylie Minogue-style white hooded catsuit she wore to perform Can't Get You Out Of My Head in series five.
The latest series, which begins on Friday at 9pm, will be no less raunchy.Kelly said: "The Kylie outfit was intimidating to wear and doing the dance was scary.
"This year I've gone one better, with a gold lamé bikini. I wear it in a fantasy feature." Kelly says that while she was daunted about her latest telly striptease, it was her choice.
She said: "The show bosses did ask me if I wanted to do it. They told me about it two weeks in advance. I was like, 'I'm glad you told me now so I can watch what I eat'."
One thing all three actors loved doing was their on-screen stunts. Kelly said: "They always try to get stunt guys in and I'd say, 'I want to do it! I go to the gym every day, this is my chance to use it.' I love the physical stuff, racing down the street and speeding about in beautiful cars. I'm going to miss it so much."
Adrian, who plays high-kicking con man Mickey "Bricks" Stone, does his own martial arts stunts. He said: "The fight scenes were fun. I've loved playing Mickey."
Adrian has been in Hustle from the first show. Kelly and Matt, who plays Emma's brother Sean, joined in series five after Jaime Murray and Marc Warren left.
Kelly said: "Adrian's a martial arts man and he's also amazing at card and magic tricks. If Matt and I need to do something they have to get a magician in to show us how. The boys also had to do a lot of pickpocketing."
Matt jokes that if the acting work dries up, he could resort to a life of crime. He joked: "I may become a professional thief."
But Adrian reckons Kelly may have less luck using the skills she tried to learn for a pole dancing scene. He said: "Kelly had to pole dance and blow a kiss provocatively, it was just . . . we had to get a teacher!"
Despite the fun they've had, Kelly has no regrets about the decision to end the hit show, which also stars Robert Vaughn as veteran scamster Albert Stroller.
She said: "It's run its course, it has been going for eight years and we're going out on a high." But she admits there were tears after filming the final scene.
"We got the tears out of the way before the wrap party. Rob Jarvis, who plays Eddie, was on set taking pictures before the last take. "I had to go round the back and have a little cry. I didn't want to get caught crying in front of the boys."
As to the future, Matt said: "A job's a job, we'll all move on. But it's the people you miss. That is what I'll miss the most."
