TRIBUTES to Doris Day have poured in this week as the news broke on Monday of her death, aged 97.

Doris Day was lauded as the last remaining icon of Hollywood's Golden Age and made a name for herself first as a singer, then as the highest earning actress of her day.

For one woman in Bolton, Doris Day's death has come as an emotional shock.

Jean Gillies, from Farnworth, is a lifelong Doris Day fan, even boasting ten years of success with her award-winning Doris Day tribute act.

She said: "I've just been in shock. I can't believe it.

"I'm 57-years-old now and from being three-years-old, she has been my idol, I called her my fairy godmother growing up!

"She has been a massive inspiration for me, I wouldn't have had a singing career if it wasn't for her. There's a massive history to her."

Ms Gillies love of Doris Day led her to start a tribute act. Over ten years, she has perfected her act, even winning awards.

The superfan was invited to visit Ms Day's home in Carmel Valley, California in 2016 to celebrate the icon's birthday.

Ms Gillies said: "I was invited, they looked after me and it was amazing. It was a bit surreal, I didn't know what was happening."

Born Mary Ann Von Kapplehoff in April 1929 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Doris Day dreamed of being a dancer as a little girl.

After a tragic car accident which left her with two broken legs, the 13-year-old found singing was her new passion.

While she was unable to walk for three years after accident, a young Mary trained as a singer.

Forever a symbol of the American Dream, she won a radio station talent contest, singing an arrangement of Day After Day by Rebecca Forrest — the song which paved the way for her stage name.

Now Doris Day, she left home to launch a career as a dance-band vocalist.

At the tender age of just 16, she began touring with Bob Crosby, brother to singing superstar Bing.

The 50s saw a string of successes for Doris Day. She went on to star in films, forming her own production company in 1952 in partnership with third husband, Martin Melcher.

Only one year later, she starred in the musical Calamity Jane, which premiered hit songs including the Oscar-winning Secret Love. This appearance was followed by a role in Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much, spawning the worldwide hit Qué Será Será.

Within the decade, she found herself at the peak of her acting career. In 1959, she starred in Pillow Talk with Rock Hudson. The film earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

She is also famed for the roles she turned down, which included Mrs Robinson and Maria in the Sound of Music.

In the years after her acting and singing career, Doris Day became an avid animal rights activist. Following her retirement she ran the Doris Day Animal League out her home, while also campaigning against the use of real fur. Her contributions to American society earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W Bush, who cited her work in entertainment and her work for animal rights.