She was born in a workhouse in the Loire Valley in France, where her mother worked. After her mother’s death, young Gabrielle was sent to live in an orphanage run by a Catholic monastery. This is where she learnt the trade of a seamstress. She left the orphanage when she turned 18 and took up work for a local tailor. It was during a brief stint as a singer in cafes and concert halls that Gabrielle adopted the name Coco, a nickname given to her by local soldiers who went to watch her.