Chapter 4: A secret date with a new Miss World

My fame grew in the 1960s, which meant the arrival of a lot more lucrative work and more beautiful women, such as thise pictured right. One of these was Ann Sidney, pictured left, whom I met during the 1964 summer season in Bournemouth. Ann was a 19-year-old former hairdresser

who won the 1964 Miss World crown shortly after we met. As you might expect, she was an exceptionally beautiful girl and keeping our relationship secret was an almost impossible job. The winner had to be kept under lock and key at London’s Waldorf Hotel until the Coronation Breakfast the next day. But at about 1am, I was home alone, drinking a glass of champagne by myself and toasting success, when there was a tap on the door. There was the new Miss World in her

wonderful ballgown. She stayed for a couple of hours, then sneaked back to her hotel undetected. With all the chaperones and security, I will never know how she did it.