THIS WEEK IN 1980: Portsmouth star was killed in road crash

Portsmouth-born comedienne Audrey Jeans was killed in a road accident while on her honeymoon in France.

The 48-year-old television and stage star married company director Cyril Giddy after her first marriage was dissolved earlier in the year.

Mr Giddy – who suffered a broken arm and leg in the accident at La Rochelle, south-west France – flew back to Britain, to a Surrey hospital.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Audrey Jeans worked with stars such as Danny Kaye, Tony Hancock, Jimmy Edwards and Ted Ray.

She went on the stage as a teenager but after a year touring Australia with Arthur Askey, she ‘retired’ and became an assistant in a Portsmouth greengrocers.

After a year’s rest she changed her mind and returned to the world of show business, and was soon ‘stooging’ for Bob Hope at the London Palladium.