Born in Paris, she took the stage name Coccinelle (French for ladybug) when she entered show business, making her debut as a transgender showgirl in 1953 at Chez Madame Arthur. She later became a fixture at the famous nightclub Le Carrousel de Paris, which also featured regular acts by other famous transsexuals such as April Ashley. In 1958, she traveled to Casablanca to undergo a vaginoplasty by Dr. Georges Burou.