Step aside Demelza because Ross Poldark has two new leading ladies in his life - and they come from Helston.

Holistic therapist Jess Sjoholm, who owns Tranquilla Rosa in town, and Carrie Baide-Pugh, who lives in Gweek, spent 13 hours on set with actor Aidan Turner, who plays the eponymous hero in the current BBC adaptation of Winston Graham's Poldark books.

The lucky pair, who are now the envy of women around the UK, won the chance to spend the day with Aidan and the rest of the cast on set, in an auction run in aid of Children in Need.

Carrie, who declined to reveal how much her winning bid was, but described it as "a lot," invited Jess to join her for the once-in-a-lifetime trip to The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol last Friday, the day after her 64th birthday.

Not only did they receive an exclusive meet-and-greet with Aidan, but they also got to speak with the actors who play Demelza, Dr Enys, Elizabeth and George, as well as Ross's maid Prudie and Garrick the dog.

They were able to see filming for series three, which included a couple of new characters and involved scenes between Ross and Demelza, although they have been strictly forbidden from revealing any details, even signing waivers.

Jess, 26, said: "It looks really, really exciting."

It was a long day for the pair, who were on set from 7.30am until 7.30pm and then finally got to see Aidan after this.

They did not mind in the slightest, however, with Jess saying: "He [Aidan] came over and thanked us for waiting so long. He gave us both a hug and a kiss and said, 'Let's have a picture taken.' It was lovely, he's a really nice guy."

Carrie added: "I know there's a lot of waiting around but I was fascinated by the rehearsals, the technical crews, all the lingo of the film industry. Everyone was just so nice and they all knew we were there and would come straight up to us without having to be introduced."

She described the day as "worth every penny," adding: "I would do it again if I had a chance."

Jess agreed: "It was a bit a surreal because when we watch it on TV we can think, 'I was there'."

Both women describe themselves as "superfans" of the show and books - in particular Carrie, who relocated from America to Cornwall after becoming "obsessed" with the county aged 14 through the Winston Graham's descriptions, despite never having even visited there.

Born in Utah, she finally made it to Cornwall for a holiday while in her thirties and vowed to retire there, visiting twice a year in the meantime - and it was on one of these trips, to see the solar eclipse in 1991, that she met her future husband John, making her dream a reality a few years earlier than planned.