Bristol dancer relives life as a Bluebells girl in Paris

A former dancer from Long Ashton, who was a member of the world famous Bluebells, has made an emotional journey back to Paris for a special TV programme.

Jayne Sullivan left England to travel to Paris to work as a Bluebell at The Lido on the Champs-Élysées, when she was 18.

She worked as a dancer in the world-renowned troupe for three years before returning home where she married and started a family.

But this month she returned to Paris to relive her Bluebell days with TV star Amanda Holden.

Amanda is working on an ITV documentary in which she fulfils three of her fantasy jobs – and one of them is becoming a Parisian showgirl.

Mrs Sullivan, 58, returned to the French capital, where she danced as a teenager, to share her memories of being a Bluebell with Amanda for the programme to air in March.

Mrs Sullivan started training properly as a dancer when she was 14 under the guidance of Angela Redgrave, who now runs the Bristol School of Dancing.

Her talent wowed those in professional dancing circles and she was invited to London in 1969 for a private audition for The Bluebells.

She was awarded the contract and just days before her 18th birthday, flew out to Paris to join the 12-strong troupe of world famous dancers. Mrs Sullivan, a mother of one, said: "It was wonderful to return to The Lido and talk with Amanda and share my memories.

"I made the trip with two other former show girls and we gave her lots of advice and tips.

"She wanted to talk to us to find out what it was like to be a member of The Bluebells."

After meeting Amanda, Mrs Sullivan went backstage to meet some of the current Bluebell dancers.

She added: "It was wonderful to meet the Bluebell girls of today and I cried when I went backstage – I wanted to get back up there with them.

Mrs Sullivan, who works as an apartments manager in Bristol, is still a keen dancer and regularly enjoys salsa and ballroom classes.

The Bluebells was formed in 1932 by Margaret Kenny from Ireland and was considered the most glamorous chorus line in Paris.

The dance troupe is one of the last remaining companies to dance the traditional can can, with its flying kicks and punishing splits.