'Flake girl' from iconic Cadbury advert looks different after turning to new career
When it comes to iconic chocolate adverts, the Cadbury's Flake commercials certainly stand out with their "Flake girls" who made indulging in the chocolate bar seem utterly irresistible.
One of the most famous faces from these ads, Janis Levy, is now barely recognisable from her days as the gypsy girl wandering through a sunflower field before hopping onto a horse-drawn caravan, an image that became synonymous with the 80s.
Janis was just 17 when she first appeared in the Flake advert back in 1985. She later moved to LA and rubbed shoulders with Hollywood royalty like Sylvester Stallone and Joan Collins.
Looking back on her experience, Janis shared with Leaders of Great Britain: "Everybody wanted to be a Flake Girl, it was such a sought-after job. I was just 17, had a bout of pharyngitis, and remember wobbling into casting director Jill Pierce's office in blue cords and a fluffy jumper.
"They said the copy called for 'a girl with short blonde hair in a white mini dress,' but that when they saw me, they changed their minds and decided on 'a redhead that looked like Bambi'. They called me back for the second audition, I booked the job, and we were on our way to a 20,000-acre sunflower farm in South Africa."
The ad was directed by Barry Myers and ended up being the longest-ever commercial for Flake, with Janis maintaining her role for an impressive nine years.
Chat-show legend Des O'Connor previously introduced Janis as the "most famous face on TV whose name you don't know", which was likely accurate back then. It led to Janis landing parts in about 50 other ads, including ones for Fairy Liquid, Toblerone, Sunday Mail, Boots, Nestea, Asda, and TSB.
But it's the Flake ad she can truly thank for her success as it gained a lot of industry attention. Meeting Maude Spector, who famously cast Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet, resulted in Janis nabbing a slot for crime drama Remington Steele.
By starring in the show alongside Pierce Brosnan, it gave her the opportunity to make her mark in Hollywood. She later secured a contract with NBC, which led to Janis spending 14 years in Los Angeles, and going onto have a thriving acting career.
Nowadays her life is very different, as she runs a hair extension firm in London called Hair Development. According to the website, the company are the "longest established hair human hair extension and replacement experts in the UK".
