Twink goes to war with Alan Hughes & hubby Karl Broderick in explosive spat over pet parrot’s death in panto rehearsals

STAGE star Twink is at war with panto legend Alan Hughes and hubby Karl Broderick — over her dead parrot.

The 75-year-old theatre icon claims she fell out with the couple after Timby, her beloved pet bird of 26 years, died during rehearsals for their production of Cinderella last year.

But Ireland AM host Alan has strongly disputed this — telling The Irish Sun: Oh no, we didn’t.

Twink, real name Adele King, says the successful producers persuaded her to make her panto return last year, playing the Fairy in their show.

But speaking to the Irish Sun she claims the production “was a low point in my 71-year career” after an accident at rehearsals saw her lose Timby, her “best friend of 26 years”.

However, Alan has denied that the bird’s death is what caused a rift in their friendship, saying “she can’t” blame them for the loss.

Pressed on why they fell out, the TV star told us: “I can’t really get into it. It’s just a shame, but there you go. As Louis Walsh says, ‘that’s showbiz’.”

But Twink was incensed by their claims that Timby’s death wasn’t the reason they haven’t spoke since the panto wrapped last Christmas.

Speaking exclusively to the Irish Sun, Adele said: “Of course it happened. I had to be in their f***ing house in Malahide, trying to sort things out.”

Alan, 63, who produces an annual panto in Dublin with husband Karl, admits he has been left disheartened by the fact they no longer speak.

He told us of their fall-out: “It’s a big sadness because, look, she is a legend. Like the one thing I did say to her (before the show) is ‘let’s not fall out over this’.

“It’s just a shame, but there you go. We’re just ­people now that she doesn’t speak to.”

Highly-professional Twink, who helped revolutionise panto in Ireland, said she had hung up her costume before being persuaded to return to the stage by Alan and Karl.

She appeared as a pre-filmed ­hologram during Cinderella’s nightly run at Dublin’s National Stadium — with her parrot due to have had a speaking role before his passing.

Speaking to the Irish Sun, Twink said: “I had no intention of doing it. But they wined and dined me and said, ‘It’s going to be fantastic and what a swan song to go out on’.”

However, Alan told us: “I know Adele years and years. She wanted to be back doing stuff.

“And we had many a conversation over the years about maybe doing a different type of show, or bringing her back to do this.

“So we invited her back. This was the opportunity to do that. I said to Adele, ‘Look, it’s one day’s filming’.

“I said, ‘Enjoy it, just make the most of it’. And just things went just like, downhill.”

Twink claimed issues included not being offered a coffee when she turned up at rehearsals without any cash one day.

She told us: “They were sending out for bits of food. They were making mugs of tea down the back. I couldn’t take anything because I was in this multi-million pound frock.

“But afterwards and during the breaks, I was never asked, except by the make-up girl, had I a mouth on me for a cup of coffee.

“They never asked me if I had a mouth on me. Did I want a bit of food, with everywhere closed, when we ran over time.”

Twink claimed that night she had no food to bring home to her dogs, telling us: “I had to find a McDonald’s on the Long Mile Road that was open to find something for the dogs.”

Reviews of Alan and Karl’s Cinderella panto were excellent last year, attracting huge audiences.

But Twink railed: “It’s off the Richter scale the ­productions I have worked on, from Perry Como shows to New York and the West End. I would say of all the productions I worked on, this for me was among the worst I was involved with.”

Twink has vowed to tell the full story of her experience in Cinderella in her next memoir, the follow up to her 2012 ­autobiography Twink Unzipped.

Speaking exclusively to the Irish Sun, she added: “When I write my next book, which I’m in the middle of, because the first one was a No1 bestseller.

“I still haven’t touched on what really happened. I still haven’t touched on the most hurtful bits. But I will by Jesus.”

Virgin Media star Alan also stressed how he and hubby Karl previously worked with RTE legend Marty Morrissey, who also appeared as a panto hologram.

And he said they are looking forward to working with showbiz couple Brian Dowling and Arthur Gourounlian in their upcoming production of Aladdin, at the ­National Stadium from December 8.

He told us: “Arthur and Brian, when we did the photoshoot a couple of weeks ago, we never have laughed as much at a photoshoot.”

Other celebs to have featured in their shows include Niamh Kavanagh, Joe Duffy, Linda Martin and Una Healy.