One birthday, I bought my husband a guitar. He sought out Enrique Vejerano, a flamenco guitarist who had been his accompanist and friend. Leaving the children with a babysitter, we went to his house together every few weeks, so that Val could watch, listen, and learn how to play. However, it was I who became the guitarist while Val stuck to singing.

Our first 'engagement' was at the Spanish Institute, where we did a performance with two flamenco dancers. It was a success. From then on, our house became a rehearsal centre, ringing with the laments of Val's singing, the tip-tap of the dancers' zapateado , the click-clack of their castanettes, and the 'rasgeado' of my guitar.

At that time (1970's), the British public was mad about flamenco and we were never short of work, performing with some of the best dancers from Spain.

I had now become 'Maria Rocca'. (I later wrote an article about that period in my life for the magazine "Women Live" and it became part of the Women's Studies syllabus in Polytechnics and Universities.)

My Spanish was fluent, and when working I spoke English with a heavy Spanish accent. This was a 'must'. No one was going to believe that an English woman could play flamenco. For example, one day a journalist came to my home to do an interview for "The Guitar" (a prestigious magazine). To his surprise I spoke to him in plain English. He asked, "Where are you from?"

"London", I replied.

"No, no", he said," I mean, where were you born?"

"2, Tollington Place, Islington".

He packed up his bags – and left.

In the winter of 1977, we were invited with our dancers to Mauritius for a tour of their theatres. A group of opera singers were also going. I asked if I could join them as a mezzo soprano, and after an audition, was accepted. I found a wonderful singing teacher at Southgate Technical College and never looked back.

In 1978, known by then as a Spanish singer, I was offered a major role in Ballet Rambert's new ballet "Cruel Garden" about the life and work of Federico Garcia Lorca. I had studied Lorca at university and loved his work, so, for the time being, I put my guitar away.

"Cruel Garden" was a wonderful piece which moved many of our audiences to tears, but the songs and poetry were in Spanish, and I longed to communicate in my own language. So when Ballet Rambert moved on to other works, I too 'moved on', leaving my Spanish identity behind.