Britain’s oldest professional roller skater has become the unlikely star of a television advert by performing these incredible athletic moves – at the age of 83.
Nimble Jocelyn Taylor became addicted to skating aged seven after she borrowed her sister’s skates and practised moves in the cellar of her family home.
Flexible grandmother-of-two Jocelyn, who still skates daily, has won nine British champion titles over the past 76 years and now works as Britain’s oldest professional coach.
But she became the star of the latest advert for private health service Bupa after her incredible moves came to the attention of a TV company .
Sprightly Jocelyn, of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, yesterday (Mon) revealed the secret to her good health is ”to keep moving” and has promised to carry on skating ”forever”.
She said: ”Roller skating is a passion for me. It is my life. I do not think I shall ever lose it. Never, ever give up – that is what I say. It is a wonderful reflection to have.
”I started on my sister’s skates, practising everyday, I thought I was a real fairy.
”The key to staying healthy is to keep moving, the old wives’ tale ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it’ is absolutely true.
”Skating keeps my brain in gear and my body active, it keeps me alert. I intend to carry on skating forever and don’t plan to stop any time soon.
”Obviously at my age I have to be careful that I don’t injure myself but it is still fantastic exercise.”
Jocelyn picked up her passion for skating after she borrowed her elder sister’s roller skates and practised in the basement of her family home in Manchester.
She persuaded her parents to let her train professionally at 18-years-old and qualified to compete at a national level within one month.
Jocelyn went on to win nine British Championships, including pair skating, dance, figure and free skating, and qualified as a National Skating Coach in 1960.
The mother-of-one has never sustained a serious injury during her career and can still perform arabesques, spins and roller skate backwards.
She currently works at her local RollerWorld in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, where she teaches two classes a week.
Jocelyn recently caught the eye of bosses at Bupa and she can currently be seen performing an arabesque in an advert for good health.
She was paired with Stanley Balls, an old skating rival who she hadn’t seen for 60 years, for the TV advert.
Jocelyn said: ”I skated against him in 1951. He and his partner were doing overhead lifts and they were not allowed then. It was great seeing him and we had a lot of fun.
”We were filmed for hours in Shoreditch Town Hall on a very snowy day in London. Then, last week I was watching the TV and there was me.
”At my time of life you think ‘I have had a good life and a lot of success’ and you think that it is over. Then somebody asks you to do something else and so it goes on.”
Jocelyn achieved competition success with her skating partners Frank Martin and George Thompson.
She later married Richard Moore and their son Ashley, also a champion skater, has two children, who have also followed her into the sport.
How about a link to see the commercial. Love this story!!!!
EVERYTHING JOCELYN SAYS ABOUT ROLLER SKATING IS TRUE !!! I am 73 myself,i have always been a scat and disco skater and a hockey player when i was a teenager.In the roller disco you can just let yourself go to the music ,all sorts of tricks and moves are there for the practising,its way better and cheaper than the psychiatrists couch and tons more fun.
I totaly believe in what shes says. I am 50 with both knees replaced and still skate in competitions, in fact I hope to do very well at nationals this year. When I don’t skate I hurt so bad I can barely move.