Elvira, Mistress of the Dark star Cassandra Peterson's dad wore a hat emblazoned with the words "I'm Elvira's father" to let the world know how proud he was of her gothic character.

The 75-year-old star is best known for her portrayal of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark in numerous TV and film projects and has recalled her late father's love for her horror alter ego, despite the character's vampy black costume.

Cassandra told Interview Magazine: "My dad passed away a long, long time ago, but he loved the Elvira character.

"He wore a trucker hat around all the time that said, 'I'm Elvira's father'. It was so embarrassing. He and my mom would make trips to see me wherever I performed, and they were very, very happy and proud of the character.

"I mean, people would ask me, 'What do your parents say about you wearing that costume?' And I'd say, 'Are you kidding? They're just happy I'm wearing any clothes at all.'

"I mean, I was a showgirl when I was a teenager, so this is like, 'Oh, she's finally covered up.'"

Cassandra's portrayal of Elvira, who first appeared in the 1980s series Elvira's Movie Macabre, helped her become a beauty icon - something she never could have imagined after suffering burns following a childhood accident.

She said: "When I was a kid, if (you said) I was going to become a beauty icon, I would have laughed in your face.

"I was a pretty homely kid. I mean, I had this frizzy, tony, permed red hair and glasses. And that kind of stuck with me all my life.

"I also had a bad accident when I was almost two years old where I pulled a pot of boiling water over on myself and had really bad scars on my shoulders and neck and back.

"I was teased all the time for looking like a monster. So for someone to say, 'Someday you'll be a beauty icon', was like, 'You gotta be kidding.'"

The sexualisation of Elvira has long been a source of debate but Cassandra likens her alter ego to late country icon Dolly Parton, as both were symbols of female empowerment.

She said: "I think another good person who's almost a character that did that was Dolly Parton. She showed off the boobs because she had it, she didn't try to hide it - imagine if she had.

"She certainly wouldn't have been where she was, and neither would Elvira. If you look online, it's funny, a lot of people have this little yin-yang symbol that, that yin is (Dolly) and the yang is Elvira.

"I think they are two sides of the same coin. But female empowerment and the accoutrements of looking like a floozy, I don't know how that works, but it really, really does. God, I have to go to a psychologist to answer this one.

"I was sexy, and in those days, if you were sexy, you couldn't be funny. It was just the law or something."