In the village of St Arvans lives a woman whose incredible survival and ensuing biography is one of the most inspiring stories to come from the Second World War. Mady Gerrard endured the worst horrors of Auschwitz and Belsen, was repatriated to communist Hungary, escaped with her three-year-old daughter and ended up as designer to the glitterati in the USA. In her mid-seventies, Mady attests to the power of humour and perspective. "Yes, I have a lot of history and it is fair to say that my sense of humour and outlook probably saved my life on more than one occasion," she said. Mady, a Hungarian Jew, was sent to Auschwitz in the age group that was kept alive for forced labour. In the barracks she was placed in with 1,100 other girls of a similar age, of which only 95 emerged alive after a few months. Most died of disease and starvation. At the end of the war she was one of the thousands of prisoners who were marched to the northern German camp, Bergen Belsen, where thousands of dead were piled in the courtyard. With barely any food, Mady said by the time the camp was liberated she had only days left to live. And the liberation happened quite by chance. Lieutenant John Randall, a 24-year-old SAS officer, was walking by the big iron gates of Belsen while on a reconnaissance mission. The gates were open so he took a look, expecting to see a stately home. What he found was the horror and tragedy of the final death camp. "He [Randall] opened the door to our hut. There were a few of us girls still alive and when I realised he had come to liberate us I just screamed. "He couldn't understand most of us because we were speaking Polish, Hungarian and Czech but I also spoke German and he understood me. "I didn't see him after that. That moment was the most memorable and emotional of my whole life. I spent many years wishing I could thank that man." Then, in 2005, Mady opened a newspaper and found the story of the liberation of Belsen, in the words of Lieutenant Randall, with mention of the girls. She traced him and the two have been firm friends ever since. Mady's autobiography, A Full Circle, culminated perfectly with her discovery of the man who saved her life. After her liberation Mady was repatriated to her home country of Hungary, under harsh communist rule at the time. Mady managed to escape Hungary, hidden on a meat wagon with her small daughter. "The people of Cardiff funded a bus to take refugees back to the UK," she said. "The bus dropped us in Yorkshire and I could have gone anywhere in the UK but thought that if people in South Wales were so generous I would go live there." Mady moved to Cardiff and developed her design business, eventually re-locating across the Atlantic and settling in New York where her designs caught the eye of a fashion editor. The publicity gained her a range of famous clients, including Pat Nixon, Dionne Warwick and Nancy Reagan. Now back in Wales, Mady is still producing her designs, mainly painted silks and intricate crocheted clothes. Last Friday she supported a vintage fashion show in Chepstow with some of her original designs from the 1970s. "I have wonderful family and great friends. People often say my life is exciting and wonderful and it is. "Many times I think of how hard things have been and think how wonderful a quiet and peaceful life must be." To view her collections or commission a piece call Mady directly on 01291 625764