By Greg Guy - The Chronicle Herald

Cape Breton comedian/actor Bette MacDonald is on cloud nine after winning her first Gemini Award.

At Sunday night's ceremony, MacDonald picked up the award for best individual performance in a comedy series, for her role as Mary Morrison, the gossipy Cape Breton biddy, that was broadcast as part of the Halifax Comedy Festival Gala on the CBC.

"It's really exciting,' MacDonald said from a hotel room in Toronto on Monday.

The star of CBC's new comedy series, Rideau Hall, was sitting in the audience with her husband, Maynard Morrison, when award presenter Rick Mercer read her name.

"Maynard said, ‘Are you nervous?' I said, ‘No,' because I really thought somebody else would win," said a modest MacDonald.

"When I got back to my seat I opened the envelope to make sure it was really my name on the card."

MacDonald was up against Nikki Payne, the lower Sackville comedian, who was also nominated for her performance on the Halifax Comedy Festival show.

"I thought Nikki might get it, because she is so hysterically funny."

She thanked her managers Brookes and Fiona Diamond and her husband, Maynard.

"There are a few people I would like to thank and that is the CBC's Fred Maddox, Moya Walsh and Jack Kellum, who really believed in me from the start. . They are such strong supporters."

MacDonald created the Mary Morrison character almost 20 years ago. She was a mainstay for a number of years with the Cape Breton Summertime Revue and had people walking away from the theatre saying Morrison's favourite line: "Good, dear, good."

"I'm thrilled it was with that character. She gets the strongest response and that character made getting work a lot easier"

She said if Mary Morrison had accepted the award, ‘she would have thanked Gordie, Verna and Tookie, and of course, dear Father Gillis."

MacDonald and Morrison sat with CBC-TV's chief programmer, Slawko Klymkiw, at the celebratory Gemini Award dinner after the show at the Toronto Convention Centre.

MacDonald was just returning from a rehearsal on Monday for the televised portion of the Gemini Awards. She presented the best comedy award and best ensemble in a comedy series award with comedian Jesslca Holmes.

Rideau Hall, which airs on Friday nights on CBC, is gaining in the ratings.

MacDonald plays Regina Gallant, a brassy, faded disco queen named to the vice-regal post by a conniving prime minister who plots to abolish the monarchy in Canada.

MacDonald's face is splashed on huge billboards across the country with castmates, Fiona Reid and Jonathan Torrens.

"Nobody's head has to be that big," she joked of the promotional billboards.

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