Denise Drysdale with Jukebox Saturday Night founder Ken Sparkes, her old Kommotion host, at a Channel 7 reunion. Photo: Jukebox Saturday Night archive
Some entertainers get one lucky break. Denise Drysdale did it the long way, one dance lesson at a time, starting at the age of three and a half. By the mid-1960s she was the girl in the go-go boots on Melbourne pop television. By 1975 she had a Gold Logie and a top-two record, and the whole country called her Ding Dong.
And she’s still going. In May 2026 she told a magazine she never expected to “still be working in my late 70s”.
Quick facts
- Born: 5 December 1948, Moorabbin, Victoria
- Age: 77 as of September 2026
- Nickname: Ding Dong, courtesy of Ernie Sigley
- Biggest record: ‘Hey Paula’ with Ernie Sigley, number two in 1974
- Gold Logies: 1975 and 1976
- Lives: the Gold Coast, Queensland
Denise Drysdale young: Tivoli, Tarax and Kommotion
Denise Anne Christina Drysdale was winning dancing competitions at six. In 1955 she was in the pantomime Jack and Jill at the Tivoli Theatre, and at around ten she made her television debut as a junior ballet dancer on GTV-9’s Tarax Show, according to her Wikipedia biography.
At 17 she joined the pop show Kommotion and became known as Melbourne’s first go-go dancer. The show’s host was a young radio DJ named Ken Sparkes, who would later found Jukebox Saturday Night, and Ken is the man who started Denise Drysdale’s career.
After that came In Melbourne Tonight and The Go!! Show, where she danced in 11 episodes. In 1966 readers of the pop paper Go-Set voted her the third most popular female vocalist in the country, which isn’t bad for someone the cameras mostly caught from the knees down. At 18 she spent three weeks entertaining Australian troops in Vietnam in 1967 and performed for American troops in the Far East in 1969.
Ernie, ‘Hey Paula’ and the birth of Ding Dong
Ernie Sigley was already a well-known face. Born in Footscray in 1938, he’d famously interviewed The Beatles at their Adelaide press conference in 1964. Denise first met him in London in 1970. By 1974 she was doing comedy spots on The Ernie Sigley Show on Nine and had become his barrel girl. Ernie started calling her Ding Dong as a joke about his secretary, another Denise, and that was that.
The two of them couldn’t keep a straight face on air, so naturally they went into a recording studio. Their cover of Paul and Paula’s 1962 hit ‘Hey Paula’, recorded at Armstrong Studios in Melbourne, went to number two in 1974 and was certified gold. Now To Love reports it sold more than 100,000 copies. It’s a daft, sweet record, and anyone who was at a wedding in 1974 probably danced to it. The follow-up, ‘The loving song’, reached number 42 in 1975.
That year Denise won the Gold Logie for Most Popular Female Personality, and Ernie won the main Gold Logie. According to the same Now To Love story, John Wayne handed them over. She won again in 1976, and picked up a pair of Silver Logies in the same stretch. She and Ernie went on working together for more than 40 years, on chat shows, game shows and panel shows, in clubs and on radio. Looking back after Ernie died on 15 August 2021, aged 82, Denise said: “When we were together, we rarely stopped laughing.”
Forty years on the telly
She hardly left the screen after that. In 1989 she was back with Ernie co-hosting In Melbourne Today, and she filled in as co-host on Hey Hey It’s Saturday. Seven gave her her own show, Denise, which ran for four seasons from 1998 to 2001. It was a daytime chat and lifestyle program, and it was the first show she’d hosted in her own right after more than 40 years in the business. Later she was a regular on Ten’s The Circle (2010 to 2011, and again in 2013) and then Studio 10, until 2023. Morning television suited her down to the ground.
In 2018 she joined Neighbours as Nance Sluggett, and the same year Australia Post put her face on a stamp in its Legends of Television series. She was Moomba Monarch in 1998, and in 2008 Baw Baw Shire named her its Australia Day Citizen of the Year. In 2014 she voiced Brenda Thong in the cartoon series The Flamin’ Thongs. And in 2024, at 75, she went into the jungle for I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, which tells you plenty about her.
Denise Drysdale now: where does she live
Denise moved from Victoria to Queensland for the climate, and a May 2026 interview found her at home on the Gold Coast, working as a model for a fashion boutique’s social media ads. She has two sons and a grandson. Her son Peter Milne has spoken about her to New Idea. She was married to scriptwriter and actor Christopher Milne for about ten years until they separated in 1989.
Did you watch Denise on Kommotion, or sing along to ‘Hey Paula’ in 1974? Tell us in the comments. You can request a song from the era, or spin our seventies jukebox.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Denise Drysdale?
Denise Drysdale was born on 5 December 1948 in Moorabbin, Victoria. That makes her 77 as of September 2026, and she turns 78 in December. She started dance lessons at three and a half, so she’s been performing for more than 70 years.
Why is Denise Drysdale called Ding Dong?
Ernie Sigley gave her the nickname on The Ernie Sigley Show in the 1970s. It started as a joke about his secretary, who was also called Denise, and it stuck for the next 50 years.
Where does Denise Drysdale live now?
She moved from Victoria to Queensland for the warmer weather, and a May 2026 interview found her at her home on the Gold Coast. She’s still working and has lately been modelling for a fashion boutique’s social media ads.
Does Denise Drysdale have sons?
Yes, she has two sons and a grandson. Her son Peter Milne has been quoted in the media about her. Denise was married to scriptwriter and actor Christopher Milne for about ten years until they separated in 1989.
Did Denise Drysdale have a hit record?
She did. Her 1974 duet with Ernie Sigley, ‘Hey Paula’, went to number two in Australia and was certified gold. It was a cover of Paul and Paula’s 1962 American hit. A follow-up, ‘The loving song’, reached number 42.
What was Denise Drysdale like when she was young?
Busy. She was winning dance competitions at six, appeared in pantomime at the Tivoli in 1955 and danced on the Tarax Show at about ten. At 17 she joined Kommotion as Melbourne’s first go-go dancer, and in 1966 Go-Set readers voted her third most popular female vocalist.
How many Gold Logies did Denise Drysdale win?
Two, back to back, as Most Popular Female Personality in 1975 and 1976. In 1975 Ernie Sigley won the Gold Logie too, and the pair were presented with their awards by John Wayne.
Was Denise Drysdale on Neighbours?
Yes. She joined Neighbours as Nance Sluggett in 2018, with her first episode going to air on 3 October 2018. She also voiced Brenda Thong in the animated series The Flamin’ Thongs in 2014.
Was Denise Drysdale on I’m a Celebrity?
She was. Denise went into the jungle for the tenth season of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2024. She was the first contestant eliminated, on 10 April 2024, and finished 12th.
There are plenty more stars from the go-go years to discover on Jukebox Saturday Night.
Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, music history is often based on available documentation and interpretation.
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