Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
A powerful new documentary traces the story of the little girl from the Isle of Bute who captured the heart of the nation after appearing on Opportunity Knocks aged 10 to sing Ma! (He Makes Eyes At Me).
It would be a trigger for success, leading to performances on Top of the Pops and the Royal Variety Show, a first album at the top of the charts, sharing a stage with Frank Sinatra, performing for the President of the United States, and embarking on a world tour.
Lena Zavaroni had a voice that defied her years (Image: STAX) However, her enormous talent was overshadowed by a well-publicised battle with an eating disorder and depression which led to her living on benefits.
She died in 1999 aged 35 after undergoing a leukotomy (effectively a lobotomy), which was intended to resolve her depression and anxiety arising from her eating disorder.
In the documentary, Lena’s father, Victor, remembers the moment a doctor told him his daughter had what was then known as ‘the slimmer’s disease’.
The 84-year-old said he was surprised by her appearance when she returned home for a holiday to Bute.
There is a disturbing moment in the documentary where the interviewer tells Lena’s father that her illness was actually diagnosed in London when she was 13 and living with agent Dorothy Solomon – and they were not told .
Asked if they should have been told, he replied: “Yes, if that’s what happened. We should have been told.”
“I was comforted by [the programme makers] it turns out that the Solomons are the ones to blame,” said Lena’s first cousin, Margaret Zavaroni, in an interview with The Herald.
“My uncle Victor called me last week when I was in Tenerife and he doesn’t call me on holiday unless something really bugs him,” he said.
“He called me and said he didn’t know the Solomons knew she had a problem like anorexia before he did it.
“We were a close family – we still are. We always talked about different things that were going on with Lena, nothing was held back.
“That’s how I know we wouldn’t have known what was going on because Lena was out of sight when she was in London. Her family wasn’t with her so nobody really knew what was going on.
“She was nine years old when she was taken from her family. They should have taken the parents with her but there were no rules and regulations at that time.
“We didn’t have mobile phones to record what she looked like,” added her cousin, 70, who is 10 years her senior.
“She was told to lose so many pounds because the TV would make her look 20 pounds bigger than what she was,” said her cousin, who is also a talented singer. “Say that to a kid? It’s going to hurt you when you’re a young kid.”
The documentary includes footage of Terry Wogan telling a then older Lena, “we want to see you back to your best”. Victor and Hilda Zavaroni later moved to London to be with their daughter.
While the title of the documentary is The Forgotten Child Star, her cousin says she believes she is remembered fondly in her homeland.
“Scotland loved Lena,” he said. “Everyone is talking about her, it doesn’t matter where they come from – from Stornoway to Glasgow.”
The program ends movingly with a clip of her father watching her sing Going Nowhere on one of the BBC’s programs and declaring it her best performance.
“It’s a beautiful song and she sings it with so much feeling,” said her cousin.
“It was a mature woman’s voice, like Celine Dion in a little girl. It’s so sad that she’s gone.”
He believes that he would have gone on to act if he had overcome his illness.
“We would have gotten more out of her when she was still alive if she hadn’t had that illness,” he said.
“I think she would have gone on to be an actress starring in films because she was full of confidence. If you gave her a script for anything she would just look at the paper and that would be it .She would put her own mark on it.
“The stage was her place – she came alive. She was a beautiful looking girl.
“I would like her to be remembered for her absolutely brilliant talent.”
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This documentary also features insights from record producer Tommy Scott, classmates Bonnie Langford and Lisa Maxwell, friend Carmen Cori, and co-star Neil Reid. Lena’s mother, Hilda, died in 1989 of a sedative overdose aged 47.
Lena also hosted a British television variety series produced by the BBC, which aired between 1980 and 1982, and the documentary questions whether more should have done more for her while she was there.
A spokesman for the corporation said “Today’s BBC is very different to that of the 1970s and 80s and we would not expect the experiences in the film to be repeated today.”
Dorothy Solomon, Lena’s agent, was not well enough to take part in the documentary.
Lena Zavaroni: The Forgotten Child Star will be broadcast on BBC Scotland at 9pm on Sunday, October 6.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24613606.moment-lena-zavaronis-father-learns-truth-diagnosis/?ref=rss
