Congratulations to our former student Charlotte Powell for a great performance on ITV Dating Show 'Romeo and Duet'.

The show, enjoying its premiere this year, features four singles being serenaded by potential suitors.

Frequently things aren't always what they seem on TV, so we asked Charlotte for some backstage insights and if it really was as much fun as it all looked. 

"I had an absolute ball - it was the best experience! The thing that surprised me the most about the experience was how few nerves I had while we were filming. The production team were all so kind and reassuring, and Oti Mabuse, the host, made sure she understood my needs, in terms of my visual impairment, so that I would be completely comfortable when the cameras started rolling!"

"Of course, I had some butterflies when I first walked out in front of all of the audience and cameras, but these soon subsided once I started bantering with Oti and the audience! It waa also really fun to have the power, being one of the pickers on the show, as I was able to play with the audience on the stairs and got to be serenaded by aome lovely boys!"

"I guess the thing I was most nervous for was the duet, singing with someone I’d never met, but I think once we had our first run through, and heard that our voices blended really well together, we just had fun with it, and I think we gave the audience a good show!"

We then asked Charlotte how it felt watching herself on screen, and it turned out to be more empowering than cringeworthy!

"It was strange to see myself from an outsider’s perspective, and to see the final edit, and I couldn’t help but cringe at the amount of times I said the word “savage” but overall, I was just so proud of myself for doing what I did! Seeing myself look confident and comfortable on stage was an amazing feelimg, as it’s hard to feel that way sometimes! I also loved that I got to live my best pop princess vibes in all the TV makeup abd glam, I could get used to that!"

Finally we asked the all important question: who did you watch the broadcast with?

"I did have a little viewing party on Saturday, with some family, work friends and friends from school! Sadly, my Sister Lauren was pn holiday, but she was able to be in the studio audience when we filmed!"

Well done to Charlotte and getting so much pleasure from her TV experience, and we hope to hear a lot more of her voice as she feels inspired to perform to wider audiences.