Born in Paris as: Jacques Charles Dufresnoy, on August 23, 1931, at rue Notre Dame de Nazareth Nr. 66 in the 3rd arrondissement of 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 where her mother was a flower seller. She later performed regularly at the famous nightclub Le Carrousel de Paris, which also featured regular acts by other famous trans women such as April Ashley and Marie-Pier Ysser.

In 1958, she travelled to Casablanca to undergo a vaginoplasty by Georges Burou. She said later, "Dr Burou rectified the mistake nature had made and I became a real woman, on the inside as well as the outside. After the operation, the doctor just said, 'Bonjour, Mademoiselle', and I knew it had been a success."

Madame Arthur is a drag cabaret venue in the Rue des Martyrs, 18th arrondissement of Paris. It is named after the synonymous song.

Madame Arthur opened in 1946 as the first transvestite cabaret, which took its name from the famous song written in 1860 by Paul de Kock and performed by Yvette Guilbert.

Coccinelle began her entertainment work at Madame Arthur. Marie-Pierre Pruvot (known as Bambi) also worked there.