Thanks for all the memories

Musical theatre star Elaine Paige chats to Zoe Ball about her incredible stage career, sharing anecdotes and insights from the major West End and Broadway productions she's appeared in

- WORDS: LAURA CARRENO-MULLER PHOTOS: GETTY, MIRRORPIX, REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

Before Elaine Paige was catapulted to stardom as Eva Perón in Evita, she nearly quit showbiz altogether. "I was nearing 30 and everyone around me was either getting married, having children or succeeding in their own careers," she says.

"Though I worked, I couldn't land a really good role."

Tired of rejection, she even considered retraining as a nursery nurse. "I was just trying to think of other things I might do if working in theatre didn't come to pass," she says.

Elaine, 77, partly blames her height for those early struggles. "They would often cast a 6ft tall man," she quips. "It was awkward. They sometimes put a board down to lift me up so I could be in the same frame."

It was none other than acting legend Dustin Hoffman who convinced her to carry on.

"I was thinking of throwing in the towel because there's only so much rejection one can take. But he encouraged me to stick with it," Elaine says. "He told me not to give up, to keep singing and, if necessary, sing on the streets like Édith Piaf."

Shortly afterwards, Elaine won the role that made her a star and, ironically, her 5ft stature worked in her favour.

"Eva Perón herself was a small person," Elaine says. "She was only about 5ft 2in or something!"