Stagestruck: An autobiography

Val Jellay presents a rare insight into the hopes and dreams of a lonely, only child whose need for affection is the driving force behind the talent.

From Vaudeville to The Flying Doctors, she takes the reader through sixty gruelling years of showbusiness life, with lively humour. Constantly on the move, she has entertained everywhere from Australian outback halls to the finest theatres of England, Europe, Ireland, Africa and New Zealand. Achieving Tivoli status at sixteen presented challenges that only the most dedicated endured. Marathon working hours and strained stamina were concealed behind the gloss of sequins and satin.

Exploited in a disastrous relationship, she eventually found a love that erupted like an emotional volcano. Sometimes heartbreaking but always optimistic, she discovered, that beyond the adoration of an audience, one special human being is all any of us should really cherish.