Life’s still a cabaret for former Tiller Girl

And now, former Tiller girl Jill Robinson is passing on that passion by running a singing and dancing troupe for pensioners.

Mrs Robinson, from Beeston, opened up her photo album to the Yorkshire Post as she shared her memories of her showbiz career.

The 75-year-old began dancing at the age of five. Her mother had taken her to a class to cure her flat feet – and a lifelong passion was ignited.

She went on to become a professional dancer, joining the famous John Tiller precision dancing troupe and dancing at the City Varieties hundreds of times.

“I lived for dancing,” she said. “When I danced it made me feel alive inside.”

Mrs Robinson later founded the Showstoppers performing arts group, which raised thousands of pounds for charity every year for more than 30 years. She was awarded an MBE for her work, which helped to buy a heart unit and a kidney machine for Leeds hospitals.

“The showbiz world was a different thing then. The celebrities I worked with were all lovely. They were all down to earth and normal. They were Northerners too, which makes a big difference.

“I think the only celebrities now who have the same thing are Ant and Dec.”

Mrs Robinson started working with the Stanningley-based Memory Lane group three years ago, and helps the pensioners stay active by putting together routines and touring them around the city.

Her first performance on the City Varieties stage was in 1956. She worked with Morecambe and Wise in the 1950s and says they were “lovely, ordinary people” and met comic actor and music hall star George Formby.