THIS time last year, stardom was but a distant dream.

But tonight singer Leanne Mitchell will take the stage in front of millions of TV viewers hoping to win BBC talent series The Voice and secure the recording deal she thought had passed her by.

The 28-year-old from Oulton Broad will perform a new solo number, a duet with her on-screen mentor Sir Tom Jones and her best song of the series in the hope of winning the public vote.

To secure a recording deal with record company Universal, she will need to see off rival contestants Vince Kidd, Tyler James and Bo Bruce.

The show will reach its climax after four weeks of blind auditions, two “battle rounds” and five live shows in front of Sir Tom, Jessie J, Will.i.am and Danny O’Donoghue.

Husband Rob Hurren, 31, an activity instructor, said the couple met at Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton 10 years ago and got married last year.

He said: “I have got friends and family in Lowestoft who will all be rooting for her to win.

“But the whole experience has been a bit overwhelming when it comes to the amount of support she is getting.

“I have been down every Saturday to see her and we have been putting up posters to encourage people to support her.

“Leanne has been given this gift and everyone is getting to see that now. I am just really proud of what she has done.”

Leanne, a voice coach at a theatre company at Potters, was still a pupil at Benjamin Britten High School, Lowestoft, when she started performing at Potters at 15. Since then she has taken the stage at its annual shows and offered a guiding hand to aspiring singers.

But until her appearance on The Voice, she had given up on her dream of becoming a full-time singer after failing to secure a recording deal.

Brian Potter, chairman of Potters, said: “Our Leanne has made us all extremely proud of her talent and immense achievement working with Sir Tom.”

As for Leanne, she said: “This has been the most amazing experience and the support I have had has blown me away. I know how privileged I am to get this far in such an amazing competition.”

The Voice live show is on BBC1 tonight at 7.20pm