ATV Icon: Lena Zavaroni

In our week of festive specials taking us up to Christmas, the next star to enter our hall of fame is

Lena Hilda Zavaroni was born on the 4th of November 1963 who rose to fame as a child star in the 1970s. Born in Greenock, Renfrewshire, she grew up in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, where her parents owned a fish and chip shop. Coming from a musical family, Lena began singing at the age of two. Her talent was discovered at nine by record producer Tommy Scott while he was on holiday in Rothesay.

In 1974, at just 10 years old, Lena won the television talent show Opportunity Knocks (Thames Television) for five consecutive weeks. That same year, she released her debut album, Ma! (He’s Making Eyes at Me), which reached number 8 on the UK Albums Chart, making her the youngest person to have an album in the UK top 10.

Her early success led to performances with entertainment legends such as Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball, and appearances on stateside shows like The Carol Burnett Show and The Tonight Show. In the UK she featured on series such as The Golden Shot (ATV) and You’re Never Too Old (ATV).

Despite her early fame, Lena’s life was marred by health struggles. She developed anorexia nervosa at the age of 13 and later suffered from clinical depression. In 1999, she underwent a psychosurgical operation in an attempt to alleviate her depression. Although the surgery initially seemed successful, she contracted pneumonia and died on 1 October 1999 at the age of 35.

Earlier this year, Lena, a new play by BAFTA and Olivier Award winner Tim Whitnall, was staged at the Assembly George Square playing throughout the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The play chronicles the story of Lena and how aged 13 she was diagnosed with anorexia, a barely known illness then called the “slimmer’s disease”.

Lena’s story is reportedly to be revisited with a forthcoming documentary Lena Zavaroni: The Forgotten Child Star, which is expected to air next year. 4th November 2023 would have been her 60th birthday.