After Sir Bruce Forsyth was knighted last week, Twickenham's very own Tino Valdi talks to Christine Fleming about his days performing alongside the entertainment legend.

For many people the words “didn’t he do well?” will be a familiar catchphrase. For one Twickenham resident those four words are a fitting way to sum up the past 82 years of his life.

Because for former ballad singer and proud grandfather-of-four, Volodymyr Luciv aka Tino Valdi, the catchphrase of British entertainer Bruce Forsyth could almost have been written with him in mind.

And even Mr Valdi, who sang alongside the newly knighted Sir Bruce as part of an entertainment act in the 50s and 60s, has to admit his journey from refugee to singing sensation has been quite a journey.

But he said: “When I look back on it, it is all fine, as it is all part of life.”

Mr Valdi, of Cole Park Gardens, was born in Ukraine’s Carpathian mountains before being sent to stay with his sister in Poland when war broke out.

While in Poland their town was surrounded by German troops and the then 15-year-old Mr Valdi was put on a train to Germany where he was forced to work in a factory.

It wasn’t until several years after the British liberation, a stint working in a Bradford textile factory, and a move to London, that Mr Valdi had the opportunity to pursue his dreams of becoming a singer.

He said: “I wanted to sing so I thought I have to come to London.

“When I came to London I didn’t know where to start, there were so many music colleges and academies and I just didn’t know [but] for some reason it sounded nice to me – Trinity College of Music - so I went there.”

“My mother had a beautiful voice and somehow I think it was after her that I wanted to sing”, he added.

Once he had chosen his college Mr Valdi’s raw singing talent impressed tutors so much they offered to let him study for free and as they were unable to help him with living costs allowed him to arrange his timetable around his job working as a waiter at the Berkley Hotel.

After graduating the young singing star started performing and took to the stage everywhere from Butlins to small concert halls, and appeared on the TV and radio before securing his place on a show alongside Bruce Forsyth.

The former crooner said: “It’s very difficult for me to say how exactly it was but the Bernard Delfont agency was my agent and they introduced me and got me gigs with Bruce Forsyth for all these weeks around theatres appearing in his show ‘I’m in charge’.

“It was a pleasure as I admired him for his professionalism and I was thrilled that I could work with him.

“Mostly what I remember is it was a lot of fun to work with him.”

Together the pair, along with several other performers, travelled all over the country including Chiswick, Brighton, Bradford, Cardiff and Bristol, putting on shows to packed audiences.

And for Mr Valdi there was one show he will certainly never forget.

He said: “I remember one day in Manchester, Bruce was doing an act where he would ask the audience how long they had been married and a couple came and said they were married 50 years that evening so he decided he would bring them on stage.

“Obviously for the lady it was probably too much when the lights came out and suddenly she turned with her head and died on the stage.

“The curtains closed and we had to hide her behind the stage. It was very tragic, and obviously Bruce never continued with that kind of thing more, but I had to sing several more songs because we had a trumpeter who could not blow after that.”

When asked what he thought of Sir Bruce’s recent knighthood the proud former colleague expressed delight.

He said: “I want to congratulate him on his achievement for being knighted, I’m very glad. My wife and I are very happy he got it.”

But it was not just his time working alongside “nice to see you, to see you nice” star Sir Bruce that put Toni Valdi’s name well and truly on the entertainment industry map.

He was also one of five singers who helped England win the title of Coupe d’Europe International singing contest winners in 1961.

The European singing contest saw Mr Valdi, along with singers Ken Kirkham, Kathy Kirby, Dick Francis and Carmita pick up first prize after a week of elimination round-style singing events.

Now 50 years after being crowned a European singing champion, and nearly 25 years after being forced to give up the singing that he loved – he had to stop in the mid 80s after being diagnosed with cancer - Mr Valdi still looks back fondly on his time in the spotlight.

He said: “It’s exactly 50 years this year that we won the European singing competition and how the agent picked me I don’t know.

“[But] it was exciting, very exciting to win.”

He added: “The thing is [with singing] it’s an excitement because you do something nice when you sing, you try to express something hopeful, you sing about love and love is such a splendid thing so once you’ve thought about love it must be nice.

“It is exciting and rewarding at the same time because you are doing something you love.”