Junior dancer rediscovers memories of meeting Oddjob

It's amazing what you find doing odd-jobs around the house.
Ivor and Linda Chapman, of Church Street, Mexborough (UK) were searching through old scrapbooks when they found a picture of 'Odd Job' from the James Bond movies presenting Linda Chapman with a dance award in 1964 - reports DearneToday.

Complete with his metal rimmed hat, Harold Sakata, better known as the Bond villain in the Goldfinger movie, presented the then nine-year-old Linda with a trophy for winning dance competitions at the Victor Sylvester Dancing Studios, where the picture was taken.

Linda, who celebrated her 50th birthday this week, said: "I kept the photos in a scrapbook and I was just looking through it the other night, so it's amazing what you come across. It brought back all the memories."

Linda turned professional at the age of 19 and won more than 40 championships and trophies during a professional career which spanned nearly 15 years.

Trophies won included the International Ballroom Championships in 1969 and the World Ballroom Championships in 1970 at the Royal Albert Hall.

Her dancing career took her around the world as she has toured Europe and the Middle East.

She also worked for a Japanese hotel chain, choreographing and producing shows for four years which led to her working with Hollywood Kung-Fu action man Jackie Chan in the early 80s while in Hong Kong. She described him as a "smashing guy".

She said: "Even then you could tell he was into Kung Fu. He used to do this trick where he threw ordinary chop sticks at a target and the force of it nearly pushed them through it.

Linda worked on a modern ballet which toured with Jackie Chan's kung-fu demonstration show around the Far East.
She added: "He was a smashing guy. He wasn't as famous as he is now and he couldn't speak quite as good English. But he was just very easy going."

Thanks to `JP` for the alert.

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