It was This is Your Life which started talk of Larry being in love iwth me. 

 

All the Crossroads cast were in on the secret that I was to be featured on the show - all except me, of course.  Even Mother knew, but she never told me.  All that I knew was that I had a call from Reg Watson to take part in a rehearsal for a promotion trailer which was to be made at our Birmingham studios.  In this particular short promotion spot I had to walk through the doors into the reception, say something about Crossroads, and finish up with 'this is my manager, played by Ronald Allen.'

 

Ronald Allen was waiting at the counter for me and the scene went off without a hitch at rehearsals.  However, when it came to the actual take, I came through the doors and started to say the wrong sentence.  So I stopped, stood there, and said nothing.

 

It was not until later that I heard just how near I had come to ruining the whole opening of This is Your Life; for by this time, Eamonn Andrews had switched places with Ronnie and it was he who was waiting for me.

 

When the floor manager saw what had happened he signalled to Eamonn who promptly ran out of the studio while Ronnie Allen went back to where he had been sitting at rehearsals.

 

It would obviously have spoiled the whole surprise element if I had seen Eamonn before the actual moment of the pick-up.

 

Anyway, I just said I was sorry, went back through the doors, and did my entrance again.  This time there was no slip-up.  Eamonn was back in position so my surprise and shock was even more real than anyone could possibly realise.  For just a moment before, Ronnie Allen had been sitting there and then, as if by magic, it was Eamonn.  It was all very cleverly done.

 

It was a fantastic experience - nerve shattering too.  I couldn't speak - only gasp.

 

Mother had packed my clothes - without telling me.  One of the This is Your Life team came with me on the train to London to tape the rest of the programme and I wasn't even allowed to leave the compartment.  When I wanted to go to the toilet they made me wear a blindfold!

 

This was to stop me seeing any of the other Crossroads folk because, unknown to me, they were all on the same train and I didn't see them until they came on the show later in the TV studio.

 

Larry Grayson followed them.  I nearly fainted.  I knew he was appearing in Wakefield and I just couldn't believe he had come all that way - just for a couple of minutes on TV with me.  And that's when our 'romance' was born.