by 1913 she had married joe gardiner, an expatriate german who worked as a professional wrestler. joe is believed to have coached florence in the skills of jujutsu, which he may have learned while in england. the two then developed a theatrical performance in which florence delivered a lecture on the benefits of jujitsu as a means of self defence and physical culture, especially for women and children, followed by a series of skits in which she demonstrated a variety of jujitsu techniques against joe, who played the role of the attacker. described as being "a refined vaudeville novelty for all the family", the act toured music halls and variety stages throughout australasia.