Former Tiller Girl remembers dancing for the Queen

A former Tiller Girl reminisces about her time on the stage performing for the royal family, as the country celebrates the Queen’s official birthday.

Now aged 74 and living at Lauren Court care home in Chester, Jennifer talks fondly of her stardom to her carers and friends.

In 1955, as a young dancer in the Blackpool Tower Ballet, Jennifer Povey performed for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in the first Royal Variety Performance held outside of London. Held at the Opera House Theatre in Blackpool, Jennifer brushed shoulders with stars including Morecambe and Wise, George Formby and the John Tiller Girls.

Four years later, at the age of 16, Jennifer was successful in joining dance troupe the Tiller Girls, famous for their high kicking, precision routines.

Jennifer remembers standing tall for former Tiller Girl Miss Barbara Aitkin, then choreographer of the group, as the girls were selected because of their uniform heights and weights, as well as how high they could kick.

During the 1950s the Tiller Girls became the premier dance troupe on British television and were seen regularly on ‘Sunday Night at the London Palladium’.

It was at the 1959 British Variety Performance that Jennifer remembers her appearance in front of the Queen Mother. Presented by Bruce Forsyth and with guests including Cliff Richard and the late Arthur Askey, Jennifer talks fondly about the evening.

“I got to speak to Sir Cliff Richard and he was only a year older than me. I can also remember being dared by the other Tiller Girls to sit in the royal box before the Queen Mother arrived!

“It was an honour to perform for the royal family and I have been lucky to meet other celebrities including Ken Dodd and the late Liberace.”

Jennifer’s talents also saw her perform alongside the late Carry On star Bernard Bresslaw as first principal girl in Aladdin. “I used to take sandwiches and refreshments to Bernard and he told me I was his favourite Tiller Girl. He collected kewpie dolls and had them all around his dressing room."

Jenny then went on to appear in the Cheshire Observer in October 1963 being given the title of Chester’s first ‘Miss Beautiful Bowler’.

In 1990 the late Bob Monkhouse opened Rufus Court in Chester, where Jennifer owned an antique shop. “Bob remembered me from my Tiller Girl days and I will certainly never forget them.”

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