TV weatherman Des Coleman's sheer exuberance can't fail to bring a smile to your face, even when he's forecasting severe gales! And it's just as well Des, who was born and still lives in Swadlincote, has such a positive outlook - he's beaten cancer and almost drowned. He talks to Lynne Dixon.

When against all the odds you beat life-threatening cancer, only to almost die of drowning in the sea just a year or two later, that could cast a bit of a cloud over your life.

Not so for Derby-born Des Coleman, who clearly loves his job as a weatherman on BBC Television in the East Midlands and as far as huge swathes of viewers across Derbyshire are concerned, the love affair is mutual.

The forecast for tomorrow may be damp and grey but when Des pops up in our living rooms with that beaming smile on his face, somehow it seems like sunshine all the way.

What endears former EastEnders actor Des to people so much is his unwavering cheerfulness and irrepressible enthusiasm.

His somewhat hip style of forecasting may not be everyone's cup of tea but the general consensus is that Des has brought a welcome breath of fresh air into the mysterious meteorological world of cold fronts and isobars.

You almost expect Des to break out into a song and dance routine in front of the weather map. But then this ex-pupil of Littleover School actually IS a song and dance man and general all-round entertainer.

A qualified welder before he went to drama school, Des developed a big fan following as loveable rogue Lenny Wallace in BBC's EastEnders from 1996-2000, and nowadays, among other things he regularly portrays singer Sammy Davis Jnr in productions of The Rat Pack.

He has also starred in several West End musicals, is currently a reporter on BBC TV's early evening programme The One Show, and if all that isn't enough, is an excellent motivational speaker.

He also does a lot of work in schools mentoring young people.

Above all, he's an inspiration to anyone who feels they have a spark of creativity inside them that needs bringing out. For Des, 36, has been there, done that and worn the T-shirt.

"I'm just a regular Derby lad, one of six brothers and sisters, who spent my formative years in Allenton," he says. "I believe there is meant to be a hierarchy, there will always be people at the top, but I also think it's pointless not to do your best to achieve as highly as you can."

Des – short for Desune – is the son of Jamaican-born parents who came to Derby in the 1960s, his dad a railway worker, his mum, Joan, an NHS nurse.

Always very self-motivated with an extremely strong work ethic, Des has already achieved a considerable amount of success in his showbiz career. But there have been some hugely challenging and rocky moments along the way.

Thankfully, he's fit and healthy now, but during the 1990s Des had a terrifying brush with cancer.

"I thought a lump on my neck was nothing to worry about so was shocked to be told I had cancer, a rare form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma," Des told me.

He underwent a life-saving operation but unfortunately the cancer returned. "I was given 18 months to live if the new course of treatment turned out to be unsuccessful."

Happily, a second operation and more treatment did prove successful. But fate had another near-disaster waiting in the wings. "Having got through the cancer bit, I went to Ibiza in 2001 to make a film about the exploits of holiday reps with Keith Allen and Ralf Little, called Is Harry on the Boat?

"While in Ibiza I ended up close to dying on the beach after nearly drowning in the sea. My heart stopped twice and I was on life support for a week."

But again Des survived against all the odds and went on, appropriately enough, to land acting roles in TV's Casualty and Doctors, as well as a movie called Submerged, starring Sam Neill.

There have been parts in The Bill, too, as well as lead roles in stage musicals like Chicago, Miss Saigon and Rent. More recently Des understudied the lead in Trevor Nunn's adaptation of Porgy and Bess.

A couple of years ago, Des moved to his current home in Swadlincote.

Fortuitously it was at this point that he was offered the chance of becoming a weather presenter on BBC TV East Midlands Today broadcast from Nottingham – and always happy for a new challenge, Des grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

"If someone throws something new at me I'll give it a go, so they sent me off for training at the Met Office in London in 2007 and the training has been ongoing."

Des knows that his style of presenting the weather is a bit unorthodox 'but I'm an actor, so whatever message I put across I try to make it entertaining'.

He also points out that while television has changed a lot over the years, weather forecasting has stayed pretty much the same. "So I've tried to inject a bit of life into it."

The fan mail, it has to be said, speaks for itself. "I get letters, cards and even poems from people of all ages. It's lovely when people write to me and say I've put a smile on their face."

Before making showbiz his career, Des trained as a welder, working at places like Rugeley Power Station.

"I enjoyed the job and the camaraderie of the guys but I had been a bright kid academically, in the A stream at school, and had always been creative, especially at writing, as well as a bit showy.

"My mum wanted me to be a doctor but I didn't fancy all those years of training, so I had to think long and hard about what I wanted to do in life. Eventually, I decided I wanted to write comedy for a living but had no idea how to get into it. Then a lady at the job centre suggested I applied to go to drama school."

Again Des had no idea how to go about it but was lucky enough to come across a very good drama teacher in Derby, Betty Isobel Meakin. "I went to her for three months, she was a wonderful character. Under her guidance I applied to six drama schools and was accepted by four of them. I chose the Guildford School of Acting in Surrey."

Des says he loved every minute of it. "At drama school you meet every kind of person possible. People don't care about your background, all they care about is what you can create.

"Drama school brings something out of each individual. The learning curve is huge and you get a bit luvvy-fied. For me it was a bit like riding on a rollercoaster with no brakes on, but enjoying every second."

After leaving drama school Des worked hard on his singing voice and got parts in several top stage musicals. "At that time I was living in a terraced house in Burton-upon-Trent. Fortunately it had solid brick walls because I used to practise my singing there for hours. My neighbours were very understanding!"

He also practised his tap dancing in the kitchen and, indeed, anywhere else he could, including the platforms at London tube stations. "I would do pirouettes as I was walking down the street but never felt embarrassed about it because all the time I was perfecting my technique."

Looking back over his career so far, Des reflects: "It's never been about becoming a Hollywood superstar and earning loads of dosh. It's about realising what makes me happy and being content within myself. I have followed my heart, which is why I don't worry when I'm not working."

Keen to give something back, Des does a lot of charity work and has travelled to Ghana on behalf of Oxfam to learn about Fair Trade and establish freshwater wells. On his return he toured the UK speaking to politicians and students.

Because of the hurdles he has overcome and the success he has achieved, Des finds he can empathise well with people.

"Rather than let it go to my head I prefer to channel things in a positive way, which is why I enjoy mentoring young people and giving motivational talks," he says. "I just want to show others that there's a spark inside each of us that is just waiting to be brought out."

To prove the case, Des has teamed up with Derbyshire-born PR and speaker coach Louise Third to deliver practical, energetic training on how to give effective presentations.

To find out more or to book Des as a speaker, call Louise Third at Integra Communications on 0115 912 4350.