Penny Lancaster wants to "make a difference" as a police volunteer

Appearing on ITV's 'Loose Women', the panellist said: "Being a police volunteer, I felt like I was on the front line and reaching out to those people, and making a difference in their lives."

Now, Penny is keen to fully embrace the role beyond the show, and she revealed she got more out of the experience than she ever expected.

She added: "I've embraced it. The prospect of becoming a police officer and get involved on the front line, and getting to grips with the local community really appealed to me.

"It sounded exciting - I thought, what a fantastic experience. But that was just on the surface.

"When I actually got involved it was far more serious than that to the point that I was doing long shifts, getting home at four in the morning and my husband was terrified at the stories I would tell him."

While her rock 'n' roll lifestyle was brought up, the former model explained it was a big reason behind her decision to volunteer.

She said: "Rod and I, obviously living a very privileged life, I always liked the idea of giving back."

The show certainly went beyond what she expected, given that Penny thought she might be spending time answering calls rather than being on the front line herself.

She added: "It was sitting in the briefs, stab vest, in the cop cars, out in the streets, literally responding to whatever call came through. So, you never knew what was round the corner."