Kay Smart

Smart was born in Lambeth, London on 13 March 1926.^[1] Her father Albert Pentice was a circus acrobat.^[1] Her mother Adeline Pentice (née Manning), who performed as Adele Bromley,^[1] died when Kay was three.^[2] Smart worked as a trapeze artist as a child.^[2]

As a young women, Smart moved to Blackpool, Lancashire, where she worked as a conductor on the trolly buses, performed with a trapeze act called The Juleos and performed at Cody’s Circus.^[1]

Smart married to Billy Smart, Jr.'s brother, Ronnie Smart on 12 March 1950, making her the daughter-in-law of Billy Smart Sr.^[2] They had three children.^[1] Working at Smart's Circus, Smart took on a number of roles including presenting the animals in the ring, selling balloons, drinks and ice cream, and overseeing the orchestra.^[1] When Smart’s Circus stopped travelling in 1971, Smart and her husband set up Windsor Safari Park.^[1]

Smart appeared as a castaway on the BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs on 26 May 1958.^[3] She also wrote the introduction to David Jamieson's book, Billy Smart's circus: a pictorial history (Circus Friends Association, 2004).^[4] Smart was also an Executive Committee Member of the Royal Variety Charity^[5] and a member of the Order of the Lady Ratlings.^[1]

Smart died in Jersey, Channel Islands, on 25 September 2016.^[5]