A FORMER Tiller Girl who performed alongside Tina Turner has spoken about her incredible career to prevent loneliness.

The dancing achievements of Kathleen Jablonska, from Knutsford, were all the more amazing because she suffered from heart problems as a young child and didn't start school until she was seven.

The 92-year-old was inspired to share her story by Age UK and Cadbury who have launched a campaign to encourage more people to talk to the elderly who may feel isolated.

Kathleen has sweet memories of her first job at a 14-year-old working on a conveyor belt filling boxes of chocolates at Cadbury’s factory in Birmingham.

Knutsford Guardian:

Kathleen worked on a conveyor belt filling boxes of chocolates at Cadbury's factory when she was 14

When she was 19, she decided to try something new and was given the opportunity to become a dancer with the famous Tiller Girls.

She started at Birmingham Hippodrome and then the troupe danced at venues all over the country.

The training and rehearsals were strict as the girls were all required to stand in a straight line with one hand on their neighbour’s shoulder, performing lots of high kicks.

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But it was an experience Kathleen remembers with a lot of affection.

Her dancing achievements were all the more surprising because she had suffered with heart problems as a young child and did not start school until she was seven.

She went on to work in the theatre in pantomime and that’s where she met her future husband Ludwig, a Polish opera singer.

Knutsford Guardian:

Former Tiller Girl Kathleen Jablonska used to perform as an acrobat in a double act with husband Ludwig, a Polish opera singer

As soon as he saw her perform, he thought they would make a good double act. Being adventurous, Kathleen decided to give it a go.

Under the stage name Caruna and Dodo, their act included singing and ballroom dancing.

They later refined it to include hilarious sketches involving lots of acrobatics.

She recalls their first performance did not go well but she decided to experiment and the very next performance brought the house down.

Ludwig was an amazing tenor and as he started to sing, Kathleen came on stage pretending to be drunk. As she staggered towards Ludwig, he pushed her away fearing she would spoil his song.

When she fell to the floor with theatrical aplomb, the audience roared their approval.

For the next 20 years they travelled the country, playing at many large venues and often being asked to open the show.

Kathleen married her partner and they took their act to Paris and other cities on the continent, working with big bands and acts such as Tina Turner and Max Miller.

She likes to joke that she spent 20 years upside down doing acrobatics.

After a spell in hospital Kathleen moved into Sharston House nursing home in 2009 after previously lived locally in Knutsford.

Staff at the home in Manor Park South helped her piece together her story for the #DonateYourWords campaign.