The Bodyguard

And with a world championship judo title under her belt, the 7st Rawtenstall mother is a contender few would like to get on the wrong side of.

"I'm small but I'm supple, very fit and strong - I could lift my own body weight above my head.

"I have no trouble being a women bodyguard and they're no big thing in America. I can protect myself and the person I'm looking after," said Jane, who has an eight-year-old son Joseph.

And the stunning 36-year-old admitted that her temperament is as fiery as her tumbling red locks.

"I'm a pretty aggressive person anyway," she said.

Jane, a former British Champion and three times European Champion, is well-equipped for her demanding post.

She was a member of the British judo squad before her 16th birthday and went on to become the first female to hold the title of World Judo Champion in 1980.

But, as in most serious sports at some time, the Bacup Judo Club member retired from competing and she later took up a post teaching judo at a club in Paris.

As soon as the club's treasurer spotted her talent he poached her for his security firm.

She started with the company as a supermarket security guard but was soon shopping for Chanel with Arab princesses and escorting them to nightclubs. Bi-lingual Jane was soon in demand by some the most famous, richest and influential people in the world, such as Sylvester Stallone, Robert Redford, French film star Alain Dellon and French minister Raymond Barre.

"I started eating in nice restaurants and staying in posh hotels but I was still with them on a purely professional basis," said Jane.

"My goal was to allow them to live as normal a life as possible. I'm there to protect the stars 24 hours a day.

"I would say, use that car or take that route to avoid trouble, the media or crowds. To allow them to walk down the street with no hassle and to protect their lives if it came to that."

Jane admitted that she often thinks about the dangers of the job but insisted that she would still intercept knives or even bullets to protect her client.

"You always think you'll never get into a life-threatening situation. You think it won't happen to you but it is a possibility.

"The key is to nip it in the bud before it happens. You have to prepare for trouble and be always vigilant. Prevention is better than cure."

She added: "Crowd control was a main part of the job. To stop people getting too close to the client. Photographers were a pain in the backside."

One of the highlights of her job was the Cannes Film Festival where she was rubbing shoulders with the likes of Robert De Niro, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood.

But the attraction of high society life was not as strong as the pull towards judo. And as soon as the chance came to coach top level judo she grabbed the opportunity.

She ditched a Japanese degree after two years of studying at a French college and left behind her future husband, Frenchman Emmanuel, and their bi-lingual son Joseph to temporarily move back to the north of England to coach the British women's judo squad for the Olympics. "Judo is my life. I couldn't give it up forever so when the the British Judo Association asked me to coach the country's women's team for their bid to compete in the Olympics I jumped at the chance," said Jane.

She is travelling around the world with the squad, who are competing in qualifier heats for the Olympics.

"So far four girls have qualified from the British squad. There are just three more members of the team to go.

"They are a strong team and stand a good chance of winning some medals," said Jane.

But she added: "I miss my family and keep in touch with them constantly.

"When the coaching is over we will return to being normal family again."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.