I bumped into Debbie McGee at a broadcasting awards evening last year. We stood there with glass of wine in our hands, chatting about Strictly, for which she’d been an impressive finalist, and BBC Local Radio. I’ve been involved with Radio Norfolk for some 40 years; Debbie presents a weekly show on BBC Radio Berkshire. We gossiped about mutual acquaintances, as you do.
It wasn’t long before the chat turned to Norfolk connections, the main one being that’s where she and Paul Daniels first worked together. From there, of course, she became, “The Lovely Debbie McGee”, as he always introduced her, enjoying years of happy showbiz married bliss, until Paul’s untimely death in 2016.
Debbie and I exchanged phone numbers with the promise that she’d have a proper chat with me for Let’s Talk. The fact it has taken until now tells you how busy she’s been. Only the enforced lockdown we’ve all been enduring has led us to hook-up, at last.
One thing she said to me about her career was, “Life takes you where you’re meant to go at the right time”. That particularly holds true when you consider how she ended up at the Britannia Pier in Great Yarmouth for the 1979 summer season, dancing in the Paul Daniels ‘Summer Magic’ show ... it was via Iran!
After graduating from the Royal Ballet School, Debbie auditioned for the Iranian National Ballet and was one of the few girls picked out of the 100 or so hopefuls. Off she went at the age of 19 to Tehran. She had a lovely apartment there and tells me: “It was an amazing time in a beautiful country. They were paying a fortune!”
Bu hikaye Let's Talk dergisinin August 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Let's Talk dergisinin August 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
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