SHE has made Britain her home and for all intents and purposes Katherine Ryan has been naturalised.

And yet while familiar with most of our cultural quirks, the very British concept of the glamour model – and the doors it seems to open - is something the Canadian-born comedian can’t quite grasp.

This quandary inspired her latest stand-up tour Glam Role Model.

“Back home we didn’t have glamour models; we had porno magazines and then we had mainstream actresses and presenters,” she says. “Here, that line is so blurred and glamour models are put in such positions where they are sold as personalities but their entire personality is just about getting naked or being drunk in the Big Brother house.”

As someone who worked as an 18-year-old in the Toronto branch of Hooters (a restaurant chain known for its scantily clad waitresses), Ryan recognises that there are different career paths out there for everyone.

“I was a product of the society that said women are for decoration and I do think girls should be able to do whatever they want. Yet, across the world there are girls who just can’t; some can’t even go to school in Nigeria without being abducted. Here, you actually have a choice to put your tits away. And, well, maybe you should.”

Ryan’s career choices finally took her to the UK where she gained a reputation on the circuit for her spiky edge. “Even in the talent round, I’d do this weird thing that nobody understood or I’d always want to sing a man’s song or do a funny sketch. I always had this different way of presenting information, I guess.”

It goes without saying that the mother-of-one has a soft spot for touring and live stand-up. And she is more than happy to share the love with her many supporting acts.

“I love to be on tour and see all the different towns and cities. I think it’s actually a bit rude to do it all on your own; there are very few people I’d like to see for two hours with an interval. If I did that I’d be afraid that a load of people would leave at the interval. I just think it’s obnoxious, plus why not give a person that you admire some space and an opportunity?”

Katherine Ryan’s show at the Arts Centre on June 11 is sold out. For future tour dates go to www.katherineryan.co.uk - MARION SAUVEBOIS