I absolutely agree with Ms Hardman above; note that it was the agent, not her audiences, who objected to her rotund appearance, and the issue was "saleability", not entertainment value!

I have sung all my life, and through most of said life have also sported more upholstery than society considers optimal. For more than 30 years, I have observed that people who look over, around and through me before I start singing come hustling over to chat me up the minute I stop. And in my single days, an awful lot of men of all ages made strenuous efforts to get very friendly indeed. This experience has led me to the conclusion that, in combination with even a minimal dose of self-confidence, talent is the world's most powerful attractant.

Charmion