SHE was the little girl with the big voice who shot to fame on Britain’s first talent show juggernaut, Pop Idol, back in 2001.
Durham-born Zoe Birkett was just 16 when she appeared on the competition that launched the career of Will Young, wowing Simon Cowell and his fellow judges with her soaring vocals.
Now 23 years after the talent show, gone is the baby face of a sweet 16-year-old, as star has matured into a seasoned performer, who will soon be seen starring as Tina Turner in London’s West End.
The singer will appear in the title role in Tina the Musical at the Aldwych Theatre in London from June.
Writing on her social media, the mother-of-one, seemed delighted to be palying her idol.
She said: “I will be heading into Tina Turner the musical playing not only my dream role but my idol, Tina Turner.
“This is more than just another show for me, this is rooted back to my childhood, my mother, her love for Tina, the connection that she felt with Tina that gave my mother through some very difficult times.”
Due to the demand of the role, Zoe will perform five out of eight shows in the week, sharing the role with another actress who will cover the three nights that off.
But she promised her followers she’d keep them in the loop.
She said: “With the high demands of the role I will be scheduled for 5 shows a week maximum, each month will be different and I will be popping my days on my socials for you to book accordingly.”
The singer competed on Pop Idol- Simon Cowell’s pre X Factor talent vehicle, finishing in fourth place.
Hosted by the fresh-faced Ant and Dec, Zoe starred alongside, Gareth Gates who won the competition, pop star Will Young and the sadly departed Darius Danesh who passed away in 2022.
Despite coming fourth, she released a single called Treat Me Like a Lady before launching into a long West End career.
She starred alongside Alexandra Burke in the The Bodyguard in the West End. She has also enjoyed roles in Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Moulin Rouge the Musical.
In 2014, she appeared on the non-celebrity version of Big Brother once the show had switched from Channel 4 to Channel 5 in the series won by Helen Wood.
Last year she appeared on stage The National Theatre in a new musical based on Roald Dahl’s the Witches.
The performer shares a six-year-old daughter with her partner of ten years.
