Grandmother, 67, recreates photo she took in front of Blackpool Tower as a teenager - before heading off to dance cabaret in Paris

Built in 1894, the Blackpool Tower has stood tall over the Fylde Coast for 130 years and has since become one of the UK's most famous landmarks.

But the tower is particularly special to Maxine Cunliffe.

A grainy photograph taken on the pier in 1973 shows a teenage Maxine with a wide smile as she is about to set off on an adventure of a lifetime, leaving her home city of Blackpool far behind to become a 'Bluebell Girl' in Paris.

Bright eyed and bushy-tailed, the teenager headed to the famous Folies-Bergère in the French capital to work as a dancer, managed by Margaret Kelly - who was also known as 'Miss Bluebell'.

Now 67, and a grandmother, Maxine has headed back to Blackpool to recreate the photo that launched her career.

Wearing flared blue jeans and a white T-shirt in both, Maxine kept her trim figure for years.

'It all started in Blackpool,' Maxine said. 'If I hadn't been in the Blackpool Tower Ballet, I may have never been a Bluebell Girl or danced around the world!'

Blackpool born-and-bred Maxine started dancing at nine years old, tagging along to a dance class with the daughter of one of her mother's old friends.

Quick to learn and with obvious talent, her dance teacher took a liking to her and allowed her to attend the classes for free.

Within just a few years, Maxine was dancing professionally, performing at hotels across Blackpool and at the age of 13 she joined the Blackpool Tower Ballet.

'I loved it,' she exclaims, 'It was my life every day. We would do two shows a day in summer, and when I wasn't on stage, I was dancing in the streets on a tap board.

'The ballet shows were popular too. We'd have crowds wrapped to the floodlights and the atmosphere was incredible.'

Blackpool was the perfect place for Maxine to nourish her love of dance.

In 1894, the Blackpool Tower Ballroom is world-famous for its unique sprung dance floor and remains to this day a go-to destination for dancers.

Indeed, the star-studded cast of Strictly Come Dancing leave behind the Elstree Studio for the famous seaside ballroom every year for Blackpool Week - a much sought-after milestone for many celebrities on the BBC show.

For Maxine, Blackpool allowed her to grow into a strong and determined performer. By the time she was 15, she had written to Irish dancer Margaret Kelly - better known as Miss Bluebell - expressing her desire to join the world-famous Bluebell Girls in Paris.

The Bluebell Girls first appeared in the 1930s in Paris, and performed throughout Europe and America.

They made their debut in Las Vegas in the 1950s, which eventually became their headquarters.

Maxine was one of few dancers selected to join the legendary dance troupe and travelled to Paris shortly after her 16th birthday in 1973.

'I don't know how I did it' reflects Maxine.

'I had never left Blackpool, and yet there I was at 16, getting a train to Victoria to get a boat to Paris all on my own.

'I still remember walking up the Champs-Élysées in these high platforms my mum had bought and a blue-grey miniskirt, suitcase in hand. I must have been quite the sight!'

Maxine spent just under a year as a Bluebell Girl in Paris, living in a bedsit above the Lido on the Champs-Élysées with the other dancers, many of whom she is still in contact with today.

During her time as a Bluebell Girl, Maxine was highly drilled and costumed in feathered head-dresses, G-strings, and high heels.

'I have so many amazing memories and I love catching up with the people I met while dancing because often they remember things I'd forgotten about!'

After Paris, she set out on a six-month tour of Italy, but it was cut short around four months in, when a law change meant Maxine and a couple of other dancers could no longer work in the country due to their age.

However, she wasn't back in Blackpool for long, as a new contract in Argentina came up just a few weeks later.

'The 24-hour flight to Buenos Aires was the best flight I've been on in my life. We were with the Argentinian football team, and it was just such an amazing experience.'

Just four months later, Maxine's time as a dancer in Argentina came to a terrifyingly abrupt end.

There was a revolution breaking out in 1976, and her dance troupe were escorted out of the country, packing what they could in the middle of the night.

'It was terrifying. There were cars on fire in the streets and we were held at gunpoint as we packed our things. I don't think I'll ever forget how scared we all were.'

Once again, Maxine wasn't back in Blackpool for long before Miss Bluebell got in contact to see if she would be interested in dancing in Hong Kong - just another stop on her worldwide tour.

From Tokyo to Vegas, Damascus to Jordan and then on to Barcelona where she modelled alongside her dancing career, Maxine's penchant for dancing took her across the world.

But eventually she decided to return to her hometown of Blackpool when she fell pregnant with her daughter, Karima.

'Karima was my mum's first grandchild, and I couldn't imagine taking that away from her, so I decided to come home.

'I had never wanted to still be dancing at 30, and I had always wanted a little girl, so it was a dream come true for me.'

Now 67, Maxine still lives in Blackpool, and has two grown up children, Karima and Lewis - who now has a daughter of his own.

She remains in touch with many of the friends she made along the way while dancing all over the world.

'I have had so many amazing experiences and met some wonderful people. When I see the Blackpool Tower now, I think of where it all began, and the years I spent dancing there that led to me dancing around the world!'