Many do not know that before I became a shoe designer, I was a professional actress and opera singer. The first ever company I joined out of drama school was The Red Rose Chain Theatre Company based in Suffolk.

Forward several years and I am back treading their boards once again. Due to Covid, this production will be streamed online in a family friendly format. I play The Queen of Hearts alongside some other fabulous actors. And yes, I will be wearing a pair of my own shoe designs!

Don't worry, I am very much creating wonderful client shoes at the same time!

Many know that I was originally trained as a professional actress and singer and the fluidity of the creative arts is very important to me.

I am thrilled to be raising awareness and singing for the Mudeka Foundation show. The foundation was established by Anna Mudeka and raises funds for orphaned children in Zimbabwe. As I too was an orphan, this is especially important to me.

I will be singing solos and alongside Soprano Emma Nuule.

Tickets are still available and the rehearsal was filmed by the BBC with Emma and I sitting on the BBC Look East couch this Friday prior to the show.

Photos are from yesterday's rehearsal.

It was an honour to be invited as an ambassador for Norwich High School For Girls earlier this week. The small team of mentors teamed together for the Inspiring Females initiative founded by the school's head teacher and Siobhan Ecke. For the first time, it also comprised of men who made up the so called inspring people within the area.

However, it wasn't about us on this day. We spent the afternnon in mentor pairs and spent the day with up to ten, 14 year olds each. Guiding them through how they would start their own social enterprises. Looking into the seed stages, finaces, marketing, operations and so on. My team came up with a technology app and I was impressed to see how tech savvy they all were.

It was truly an inspiring day for all!

A chance meeting landed me with an exciting collaboration which is coming soon to Milly J Shoes!

Look out for this soon!

As part of my commitment to society and the community , I am often asked to attend talks, seminars, schools and institutions to share my story. A surviving against the odds story that encourages the community and especially the youth to find other routes within their lives through the power of creativity, the arts, entrepreneurship and STEM.

So it was a true honour to have been chosen by North Walsham High School to be a part of their mentoring scheme several months ago with a minimum two year commitment. As an ongoing commitment, I have of course many things in store for my very inspirational students.

I am thrilled to announce that I have been invited by a girls' school buzzing with creative and academic vitality to inspire at their International Womens Day event. I will be alongside the CEO of Women For Women, Brita Fernandez-Schmidt and Paralympian, Wendy Smith.

The school had spotted me previosuly in the press and wnated to get me to share my unusual and inspiring story saying the audience of students, media, parents and governors were sure to take something away from it. I will also be singing a song from Handel's Opera, Semele and If I Loved You from Carousel.

I will be looking to do more for the community in terms of sharing my story for inspiration and strength.

Below you can find the upcoming event in the press and a larger version in the right column.

Interviewed by inspiring business woman and coack, Christine Griffin in her influential blog. Please have a read here http://www.griffinity.co.uk/exceeding-despite-the-odds/

The Bbbc were so generous in commissioning a very speacial, Artto Wear pair of shoes for none other than pop princess, Kylie Minogue. After perfroming on Milly J's blind audutuion, she handed over an exceptionally yummy pair of, Chocolate shoes. No, not to eat, but actually to wear and not made of real chocolate of course! Kylie gave Milly J a hug and was thrilled with her new footwear!

Milly J also made a statement with her very own, fruity pair of Art to Wear Shoes!

Milly J made it through several auditions to get a chance to audition in front of a panel of scarey chairs! Without giving too much away, hook into BBC1 at 800pm GMT on the 1st Feb 2014 to watch what happens. Of course Milly J was sporting her own shoes. Oh .... and there's a huge surprise too! Exciting... http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nnfdd