Dinah May was born in Irby on the Wirral, Cheshire. From the age of seventeen she was encouraged by her mother to enter beauty competitions, eventually winning Miss Great Britain 1976. She worked extensively as a model and has appeared on TV shows including Brookside, Hammer House of Horror, Where in the World, Password and It’s A Knockout, as well as films including Deathwish, The Wicked Lady and Claudia’s Story. She has two sons and lives in London.