Meet the woman who grew up in the circus and started performing at the age of two.<br /><br />Romy Bauer, 33, and her family have toured as part of Gandeys Circus circus for almost 30 years and her ties to it go back seven generations.<br /><br />Romy was just two when her grandmother, Madge Summerfield, then 62, performed a circus act which involved juggling family members - including the tot - on her feet. <br /><br />Romy's mum, Kim, 61, and her dad, Max, 68, performed a slack wire act together and she's spent her most of her her life on the road touring alongside them - before following in their footsteps and pursuing a role as a roller skater and aerialist.<br /><br />Since she was a six-week-old baby, Romy has travelled with the circus across the world to places such as Spain, Luxembourg, Italy and Hong Kong.<br /><br />Romy even met her partner, Joel Hatton, 34, in the circus and together they perform a roller-skating double act - involving death-defying lifts and upside-down spins - as part of a theatre show 'Cirque - The Greatest Show'.<br /><br />Romy, who was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, said: "For me as a kid growing up there weren't any bad bits to being in the circus.<br /><br />"I didn’t know any different, I think most kids are happy just playing and running about.<br /><br />"What I loved and still love about being in the circus is how many different people I meet, people from all over the world. <br /><br />"Nobody judged each other we were all there for the same goal - to entertain people."<br /><br />Romy's circus background stretches back seven generations with her grandfather, Holley Gray, once holding the world record in plate-spinning - while her grandmother’s parents were tight-rope walkers.<br /><br />Romy said: "My grandmother would spin us round across this long pole for a very long time - I guess that was my first introduction to the circus.<br /><br />"Since that day I have been totally absorbed in all things circus."<br /><br />Romy was brought up in the circus, but says she was always given choice over what she wanted to do with her life. <br /><br />She said: “I had an education. When the circus was off I’d go to a school that was local and they would set me coursework.<br /><br />“I was always taught that I had the freedom to do anything I wanted, even if that was outside of the circus life, but I have always felt that this was what I was meant to do.<br /><br />"Then there are the perils of performing extreme stunts, which invariably leads to the occasional scrape. <br /><br />“I have broken a rib while performing and just had to carry on, it was hard and difficult to breathe, I’ve also broken my arm.”<br /><br />“Injuries are quite common - it’s rarely something terrible, but it’s not for everyone.”<br /><br />Despite her lifelong circus performing, Romy had a taste of a normal job during the pandemic - when circuses weren’t running.<br /><br />“I volunteered to work in the NHS as a healthcare assistant," she said.<br /><br />“It was such a big change, but I love helping people and it was such a rewarding job <br /><br />“I couldn't just sit in my house while people were losing their lives, but the circus is still my real calling.” <br /><br />In order to maintain their fitness, Romy and Joel train “most days of the week”.<br /><br />Romy said: “We do a dangerous act, so we have to keep our strength up.<br /><br />“We usually have just one day off per week.<br /><br />“For four days of the week we are performing at different theatres, it’s very intense.<br /><br />“You travel seven hours in tour bus to be in a place for three hours maximum but at this point I’m used to it.”<br /><br />Romy says one of the downsides is long stretches away from family. <br /><br />She said: "My family are also in the circus, but while we’re on tour it’s hard to see them a lot.<br /><br />"But you do end up becoming like family with people who are on the show with you.”<br /><br />Romy says that she will continue in the circus in some capacity for the rest of her life.<br /><br />“There’s always a time limit on performing, maybe 50-year-old me wouldn’t look very good doing the same stunts," she said.<br /><br />“But there are a lot of other jobs that are part of the circus, like the box office and sales management.<br /><br />“Both my parents still in circus, it really is a job for life.”
