SEVEN years ago this week, former child star Lena Zavaroni lost her tragic fight with anorexia. . Did the anorexia develop as a result of the pressures to perform? Whitnall, who was Teletubbies narrator from 1997 to 2001, originally envisaged Lena as a film rather than a play. The singers stock in trade was the offering up of vaudevillian, deep-throated gutsy adult vocals, while appearing in childrens frilly blouses and long white socks. I could see youth was a currency. The actor points out that anorexia is not only a known illness, but far more prevalent than it was in Lena Zavaronis day, with some 1.25m sufferers in the UK today. Find the right content for your market. Whitnall, a Bafta and an Olivier Award winner, is eminently qualified to write about the impact of fame upon the forming mind. Coward also understood that success can be fleeting, and when it departs it leaves behind a husk, where a once-formed person had existed. The Journal of Phenomenological Psychology reports that young people certainly arent offered up classes in subjects such as Wealth, Temptations and Family Impact., It highlights that they certainly have no expectation of developing mistrust, isolation, and an unwillingness to give up fame, or that being in the world of celebrity is a process involving four temporal phases: love/hate, addiction, acceptance, and adaptation.. The show was taped at the BBC Television Centre. I suppose it goes back to my own experience, he recalls during a break from rehearsals. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com. They will speak out about her traumatic life in a Channel 4 documentary, The Real Lena Zavaroni, to be screened tomorrow night at 10pm. Written by Tim Whitnall, who wrote an Olivier Award-winning show about Eric Morecambe and a BBC film about Kenny Everett, and starring Shetland actor Erin Armstrong, it will receive its world premiere in Greenock where Lena was born in March. She was playing about with her sister on the floor at the time and she just said, Thatd be great, Dad. So I decided to sign it. Before the likes of Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse struggled with the pressures of celebrity in the social media era, Lena, catapulted to stardom as a young girl with little control over her own money-making abilities and maturing in the limelight, suffered her own demons. Short article about the documentary (Stars In Their Eyes) which follows the lives of various members of the Italia Conti stage school, including Lena Zavaroni and Bonnie Langford. Although Scottish, her family was of Scottish and Italian descent and she grew up in a musical environment, performing at an early age. But when you're on a show, you are often carrying a whole show and you know that. I can still remember going to school the day after Lenas appearance on Opportunity Knocks. It was the talk of the school. Shed say: Its as if Im living in a tunnel.. And today her best friend reveals her own shocking battle with the eating disorder. These are just some of the attack weapons on the vulnerable. [5] In September 1978, the BBC broadcast Lena Zavaroni on Broadway. Lena was nine. They have to grow up so quickly. BUY TWO IMAGES, GET THE LOWEST PRICE IMAGE HALF PRICE WITH CODE: 50%OFFNEXTIMAGE. In the US, the National Eating Disorders Association is on 800-931-2237. It took place on 7 September and was described as "pioneering". And they look at YouTube or whatever and see things they shouldnt perhaps be seeing., Psychologist P.A Adler points out that celebrities, as a result of the conception of their selves held by others and the reflection of their image as a glorified self, begin objectifying their selves to themselves.. For me there are a lot of similarities with the likes of Amy Winehouse and Caroline Flack people who needed help in the face of all that media pressure. Written by BAFTA and OLIVIER award-winner Tim Whitnall (Morecambe/ The Best Possible Taste) and directed by Leslie Finlay (The Misanthrope/ The Reader), this dynamic new work also features a wealth of classic songs including Ma! Justin Bieber, drag racing at 3am in a yellow Lamborghini with a ready supply of drugs and alcohol, and a lingerie model for company. From the age of 13, Zavaroni suffered from anorexia nervosa. She never had the chance to go out with other girls to a disco.. Macaulay Culkin, the actor received three one-year suspended prison sentences. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts She performed at a charity show in Hollywood the same year, sharing a bill with Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball. It made me think about how you would feel if it was your daughter to have a pile of contracts up to your ankles in the post every morning; to share her with 18 million viewers; to have to let her go and live in London at 10 years old.. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. In sketches set on Hollywood Boulevard, a baseball game, and a bus stop, Carol and company prove that big laughs can be found everywhere. We meet Lena at the end of her life, and the story then stems off into two narrators, one reliable, her father, Victor, played by Alan McHugh. Within three weeks, Lena was dead - her tiny 4ft 8ins frame ravaged by the eating disorder. Now she wants to see Lenas own legacy returned to prominence. The actor-turned-writer was able to identify with Zavaronis story, having become a young star himself when he starred alongside Shakin Stevens and PJ Proby in a West End production about Elvis Presley in the late 70s. It was unbelievable, really, in those days, adds Zavaroni. And when I began to write this play I said to Victor, Look, we cant dodge the tough issues in this play. But I hope Ive got it right and we get to show a real balance., He adds: We want to educate and inform. Fanz of Lena Zavaroni. Hers is a salutary, yet deeply sad story. In 1989, Zavaroni married computer consultant Peter Wiltshire. Lena Zavaroni at the age of 10 in 1974, standing in front of a miniature of the. Ive got an amazing cast who understand how to bring stories to life. But as a writer, Ive been aware that nothing seems to have changed really. Her parents sang, and my father was the same, as was their father.. She was in the Royal Infirmary and I went to see her. It's about a child star Lena Zavaroni who died of anorexia in the 90s. TVTimes TV Guide. Fortunately, a staff member with some basic human decency notified authorities and managed to get Lena out of there. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can How to capture that charisma, the singing talent, yet also show a mix of a once-confident, cheeky young girl who would throw tantrums and is also incredibly vulnerable? Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Ive worked with ex-pop stars, former child stars, big actors and big names. [3] She continued to have anorexia throughout the 1980s. There was a happy moment in 1989, though, when she married computer consultant Peter Wiltshire but according to Margaret that was a no-no from the beginning and they separated 18 months later. I was 16 when I auditioned for Elvis and I went from being at school on Friday, to being on stage on Monday to start rehearsals, with our faces all over the papers. Hes Making Eyes song, but they couldnt find a song suitable for a kiddie that wasnt a love song., Zavaroni knew nothing about the complexities or workings of showbusiness, he says. Yet, you cant present an audience with relentless depression. [citation needed], Although some reports said that the surgery was a lobotomy (also known as a leucotomy), the hospital said that it was not, and the treatment was intended for depression rather than anorexia as was rumoured at the time. Copyright 02/05/2023 Alamy Ltd. All rights reserved. She just enjoyed singing," said her father, Victor Zavaroni. What a voice and what a pair of lungs for a wee girl who was only 4ft 11in. Zavaroni was in the charts at 11 and died after years of illness aged 35. And the teaching keeps me grounded.. LENA stars Erin Armstrong (Shetland/10 Rillington Place) as Lena, the UKs best impressionist Jon Culshaw (Dead Ringers/ The Impressionist Show) as TVs original Mr. Starmaker, Hughie Green, Alan McHugh (Scot Squad/The Limmy Show) as Victor, Julie Combe (River City/ Hope Springs) as Hilda Zavaroni and Helen Logan (River City/A Mugs Game) as Dorothy Solomon. Erin Armstrong is a fabulous actress and can really sing, said Whitnall. Terms of use | Track listing [ edit] Speedy Gonzales (you'd better come home) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song I Always Seem To Wind Up Loving You Keep Your Mind On Love Songs Are Such Good Things I Should Have Listened To Mama Registered in England No. The challenge of playing Lena Zavaroni is a daunting one. At 10 years, 146 days old, Zavaroni remains the youngest person to have an album in the Top 10. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. [7], In September 1999, Zavaroni was admitted to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff for the psychosurgical operation. Erin Armstrong doesnt have all the answers, but she appreciates the pressures on Lena Zavaronis mind. With such horrific actions, how come no one talks about this case? In Australia, the Butterfly Foundation is at 1800 33 4673. When I was writing this play, I spoke to Alex Yellowlees, a consultant psychiatrist at the Priory Clinic and he made an interesting point. It will premiere at the Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock, 16-19 March, before touring in 2023. Available for both RF and RM licensing. (He's Making Eyes At Me), she was the youngest person in history to have an album in the top ten of the UK Albums Chart. Lena Zavaroni and Music (originally known as, pre-broadcast, as Lena Zavaroni and Guests) was a variety TV programme featuring singer Lena Zavaroni and her guests. But then you have to remember she was just a little girl.. performer: "Ma! But with each passing decade the effects of fame have become harsher. There are a few recordings of television interviews with Lena Zavaroni around online. Ticket for the recording of Lena Zavaroni and Music at the time of recording the show was called Lena Zavaroni and Guests (1979). Episode 1,[1][2] broadcast 23May1979(1979-05-23), Episode 2, broadcast 30May1979(1979-05-30), Episode 3, broadcast 6June1979(1979-06-06), Episode 4, broadcast 13June1979(1979-06-13), Episode 5, broadcast 20June1979(1979-06-20), Episode 6, broadcast 27June1979(1979-06-27). The death of Lena Zavaroni, the child singer who suffered from anorexia for most of her life, was not a result of the brain surgery for depression she underwent three weeks earlier, an inquest.