WHEN Alice Cargill was given the chance to audition for a new Channel 4 show having to roar like a lion seemed a small price to pay.

Annie Davidson

WHEN Alice Cargill was given the chance to audition for a new Channel 4 show having to roar like a lion seemed a small price to pay.

The 18-year-old gave it her all during the screen tests for Je Suis Un Rockstar as she competed against dozens of other young hopefuls to win a place in the reality show to be a roadie for a band on a European tour.

But now she is hiding her blushes after winning one of the three places in the show - and her lion impression being used in the trailer for the programme.

Alice, of Hawkwood Road, Sible Hedingham, was a roadie for indie band The Wombats during the German leg of their tour.

The Liverpudlian three-piece band, whose hits include Backfire at the Disco, set tasks for Alice such as organising parties, making wombat costumes and booking hotel rooms.

The former Hedingham School pupil said: “I have done A-levels in French and German and I did a short course in GCSE Spanish.

“There was a choice between Germany, France and Spain and I said I didn't mind which one I did but I was so pleased to get Germany, I really love my German.”

The programme was funded by the Government's Department for Children, Schools and Families as part of a campaign to inspire young people to learn languages at GCSE.

The two other successful language lovers took care of the band on the French and Spanish legs of their tour.

Alice said of her week-long job as a roadie: “A lot of it was very hard - when they wanted something done it was a case of drop everything and do it.

“At one time they wanted some hotels booked but because of a festival there was literally no hotels with any room.

“It could be quite frustrating at times but some of the tasks were fun, like making wombat costumes and organising a typically German party for them.”

Alice will begin a degree in languages at Essex University in September and said her time with Je Suis Un Rockstar had given her a new outlook.

She said: “I have always thought about teaching languages and I want to pass on my passion for languages to other people but I think this has made me think more about the music industry or doing PA work, there are so many different opportunities.”

She said texts had already been pouring in from friends who had seen the show's trailer and witnessed her winning lion's roar.

“I can't believe that has been put in the trailer - that is really harsh,” she said.