She possessed a fine singing voice and dreamed for years of going to Italy to be properly trained as a singer. After many years spent working in a chewing gum factory, she saved up enough money to make her dream reality, but, whilst studying in Italy, she was spotted by Federico Fellini and immediately offered the crucial role of La Saraghina in his "Otto E Mezzo". She became so entranced with film-making that her singing career was put on hold for some time, though she can be heard singing in several of her films.
