march-2012

STAR STRUCK
You could kick off a story about
Tina Arena citing all the obvious
descriptions and accolades —
cut her teeth in showbiz at age
seven; a huge star in France; one
of the most enduring talents
of our time. But you could
also start a piece on Arena
highlighting she’s one of the
nicest, most giving, honest, funny women
Australian showbiz has ever seen.
Born Filippina Lidia Arena to Sicilian
immigrant parents Giuseppe and
Franca in East Keilor, Victoria, 44
years ago, Tina clearly had a natural
knack for entertaining from an early
age. She made her TV debut on an
Australian talent show called Young
Talent Time (YTT) at the tender age of
“seven and a half”.
Arena recalls: “Our time
wasn’t as complicated as it
is today; we were much
more happy-golucky,
nonchalant
kids. It wasn’t
a generation
of high
technology
and internet,
so we didn’t
have all those
‘stumbling blocks’.
It was a very
innocent time.”
Indeed, witness
footage of Arena on
the original YTT
of the 1970s, and
you wonder,
028
Tina Arena herself
debuted on Young
Talent Time when
she was seven
Tina Arena with
YTT host Rob Mills
PHOTO: CHANNEL TEN