MISS CHILD… YOU’RE NEEDED!
As Christine Gallie she was a world-famous judo champion, and as Cyd Child she was a foremost stunt performer.
Christine Gallie is a 7th Dan who trained at the Budokwai in London, becoming the first woman to be allowed to train with the men’s elite class. Amongst her many titles are European Champion and six times British Open Champion. Brian Jacks once hailed Christine as “the innovator of women’s competition judo.” Christine was the first woman in this country to get 5th Dan and then 6th Dan.
Christine was part of a wave of innovation that changed public perception of the sport. “I think it will surprise people to find out that although judo is now a respected Olympic sport in which women compete on the same level as men… it was once considered so unacceptable that the general public were not allowed to watch it.”
Under the stage name of Cyd Child, she became one of the foremost stunt performers in the UK, working on film franchises such as James Bond, Superman and The Pink Panther, as well as television classics such as The Goodies, Space: 1999 and UFO. But it is for The Avengers where she has received greatest acclaim, in her role as double for Emma Peel and Tara King, and then Purdey in The New Avengers.
“People had been saying to me for years ‘You should write a book…’ but I had never taken them seriously. It was only when I retired and had a little more time to think, that I started to consider the possibility. I am hoping that it will open the eyes of the reader to the fact that women had to work for their equality.”
This autobiography is a celebration of Cyd’s colourful life and her dual careers in judo and stunt performance, and contains hundreds of previously unseen photos from her personal archives.
The title will be available via the Fantom Publishing website at the pre-order price of £15 (RRP £16.99). You can also purchase a limited edition bundle which also includes a signed 10×8 The Avengers photo, and an opportunity to join Cyd via a special zoom meeting in January!
