Midsomer Murders star Fiona Dolman went into labour while having her hair cut

Midsomer Murders star Fiona Dolman, who has shown off the baby she thought she would never have - and told how she went into labour while she was having her hair done. (PA)

Midsomer Murders star Fiona Dolman has shown off the baby she thought she would never have - and told how she went into labour while she was having her hair done.

The actress, who had suffered a number of miscarriages, became pregnant during a brief fling which followed a split from her husband after 13 years of marriage.

And she told Hello! magazine how she used an unusual method to get her longed-for daughter Madeleine Charlotte had to pop into the world after she was 12 days overdue.

"I tried everything to hurry her up. I rode a mini tractor to see if it jiggled anything around a bit, but nothing," she said.

"I was due to be induced so I booked a haircut and I think that made her go 'right, I'm going to spoil that.' I was having contractions in the hairdressers chair."

The actress who plays Sarah Barnaby in the hit ITV show, had a surprise pregnancy at the age of 43 which she said was a blessing. She had split from husband Martin Curry and had given up hope of becoming a mother.

The little girl was conceived as a result of a brief relationship and she intends to bring her up as a single parent.

"Things might not be perfect but from the moment I held Madeleine in my arms we felt like a team," she told the magazine.

"I've got so much love around me I know we're going to be alright. I can't describe it, but I just look at her and think I don't remember life before and we'll just be absolutely fine."

Dolman is open to the father playing a regular role in her life. She said: "He'll meet her and then we'll just see how it goes. I think it's very important that if he's a part of her life he's a consistent part so it's whether he feels willing and able to do that."

:: The full interview is in the latest edition of Hello! magazine which is out now.

PA