1942 was the year of my birth. I was the youngest of six children and my life began in the beautiful countryside of a small village in Campania in the south of Italy, near Naples. My father died when I was only five and so we had to work very hard on the land, growing vegetables and livestock to help my Mama. With no father to support us we had to help her every day and so we didn’t really have time to go to school. When I came to London in 1960 I didn’t speak a word of English. I was 18 and my work permit stated that I was a domestic worker and so for four years I had to do low paid jobs. For six months I worked in a school kitchen and then I got a job as a porter in a hospital. At the weekends some Italian friends and I would go dancing in Golders Green. I love dancing. When I left Italy,  I knew that I wanted to do something different with my life, but I didn’t know what  and so when my work permit ended and I could do any job I liked, I tried 9 in one year! And then I found my passion. I got a job driving for leather factories in East London, doing deliveries. I really enjoyed the leather trade and within two years had my own shop selling leather jackets. In the ‘70’s it was really popular. We had a shop in Kensington and used to play Rock n Roll really loudly to attract American tourists. They would dance away in the shop and we had a great time. It’s how I became a fan of Elvis Presley. I wish I could have met him. I dreamt once that he came to my village in Italy and taught me how to dance. I love dancing.

​