Funny Girls

Back in the 70’s while propping up a barre at The Royal Ballet School, a young Elizabeth Norma Ginger Diamond was ‘spotted’ by an agent from New York city. It wasn’t long before Miss Diamond at 6 years old was performing as a Hollywood blonde in the National Tour of Gypsy. In her recent unauthorised biography, she was quoted; ‘My old biography said, I played Dainty June, and that’s a lie, my mother put it in there she thought it sounded better early on in my career’After gaining oodles of experience and changing her name to Betty (Elizabeth Norma Ginger became too much of a mouthful !!) she starred in her first Broadway show ‘Annie’ in which she received a Tony Award nomination – for her role as Sandy. She continued to play the ‘great white way’ for the next ten years, including ‘Liesl’ in the Sound of Music, and ‘Julie Jordan’ in Carousel. Next – Paris... The Follies Bergere. As a can-can dancer Betty quickly fell into the Parisian way of life, excelling in the apache (for those that don’t know, that means dancing in a bar with bottles, chairs and inebriated young men !) ‘Even in those days there was no competing, Betty could always throw her legs up higher than the chorus girls….. and wider’ stated Liliane Montevecchi, to which Betty replied ‘I was never in the chorus !!!’On her 19th birthday, Betty, now known as ‘Legs’ moved back to England where the bright lights of London’s Theatre land were calling. Here she appeared in many musicals, including, ‘On your toes’ ‘42nd Street’ ‘A Chorus Line’ (Laurence Olivier nomination) ‘La Cage aux Folles’ ‘Cats’ ‘My Fair Lady’ ‘Les Miserables’ ‘Chess’ and ‘Anything Goes’ – to name but a few. One of the greatest shows was ‘Stairway to the Stars’ and The London Palladium, where Betty was privileged to work with such Hollywood legends as, Kathryn Grayson, Gloria DeHaven, Dolorus Grey, Georges Guetary, Van Johnson, Dorothy Lamour, Virginia O’Brien and the incomparable Jane Russell.When Betty was starring at The London Palladium with Lily Savage, Gayle Tuesday and Jimmy Somerville, Basil Newby whilst hoovering at the stage door managed to ferret his way to her dressing room to proposition her. With the promise of a private maid, black limousine, redecorated dressing room, furs, cash, clothes, and as much rock as she could fit in her mouth. She signed immediately. Twelve years later, and to this day, Betty could have sworn Basil didn’t say rock !Some of the highlights from Betty’s career to date include, 7 television appearances, (which of course includes winning ‘The Weakest Link’, tee hee!! ), her very own travel show ‘Legs on the Med’, 3 Royal Variety performances, modelling for Katharine Hamnett in Milan, and starring in a low budget American movie ‘Truckers Load’. After a decade of laughter, magic, fun, tears and broken ankles, some 30 shows, 180 routines, and 3,000 foot-blistering performances. When recently asked ‘Why leave the glamour and bright lights of The West End’, Betty replied 'I didn't leave, it followed me here !'