A STOURBRIDGE grandmother’s international salsa career is continuing to sizzle.

Sarah Jones, better known as Paddy, who now lives near Valencia in Spain, took up salsa dancing around five years ago after her husband David passed away.

And now instead of pottering about in her senior years - the sprightly 75-year-old, who used to run Paddy’s Fabrics in Stourbridge, is shimmying around dancefloors across the world in an unlikely dance partnership with her Spanish salsa instructor Nicko - who is more than 40 years her junior.

The pair have made quite a name for themselves - recently making it to the number two slot on a Spanish TV talent search similar to the X Factor.

They also wowed old time film and TV stars in LA when they graced the stage at an international salsa congress at retirement complex Laguna Woods Village in The Old Pros’ Stars of Dance event.

The duo were the only Europeans invited to attend the glittering bash in May - organised by salsa star and promotor Albert Torres who has worked with the likes of movie stars Jennifer Lopez and Walter Matthau.

Paddy said: “We’ve been to LA many times, but this was incredible - people came from all over the world and we were treated like Royalty.”

The gutsy grandmother of seven, who lived in Stourbridge all her life before moving to Gandia in Spain with her late husband, said she feels “very lucky” to be jet-setting around the world in her twilight years, reprising the professional dancing career of her youth; and she has no plans to take things a bit easier.

She said: “Nicko said as long as I can keep doing it - we’ll still do it. I do thank my lucky stars. If I wasn’t doing this my life would be very different - but now there really isn’t a dull moment; it’s incredible.”

The in-demand pair even flew back to Stourbridge to put on a show for family and friends to celebrate Paddy’s 75th birthday last week - before jetting off again for yet more international shows.

You can see Paddy and Nicko in action on YouTube.com below.