WINNING The Voice meant Ava could quit her job as a dog groomer to finally pursue her dream of becoming a famous singer.
But it hasn’t been easy for her to leave the past behind, despite now working alongside coaches Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones from the ITV show.
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She told me: “Honestly, I really miss the dogs and I miss my co-workers a lot, getting my boss coffees, and when I was on the show I was popping back into the shop every week.
“I’ve had a few customers say their dogs are missing me, and I really miss them, but there was too much noise in the dog parlour to hear me singing.”
Ava, 21, from Bristol, was talent-spotted for the most recent series of The Voice thanks to a video of her and a friend singing together on YouTube.
She admits she had never planned to audition for a talent show, despite her lifelong dream of being able to share her music with the masses.
Ava said: “I never expected to be doing anything like this, I didn’t really think TV would be my thing — but doing it, it had to be The Voice or The X Factor, because it’s about showcasing voices, isn’t it?
“I’ve always watched these shows, so when I got an opportunity to go on The Voice, I just thought: ‘Why not? All I’m doing now is singing to the dogs.’
‘Finding my groove’
“I never expected to win. It’s been amazing, everyone has been so supportive.”
Now, she’s keen to make sure the business doesn’t change her unique style or approach to songwriting.
Ava added: “I am just trying to be myself and not let anything or anyone change me.”
Last week, the rising star released two singles — including one alongside McFly hitmakers Danny and Tom.
Ava’s now hoping that she could finally break The Voice “curse”, which has seen emerging artists from the show struggle to break into the mainstream charts and find global success.
She said: “Other than the amazing Becky Hill, I know there’s never really been anyone who has taken off after appearing on The Voice — people do always like to say that, and I don’t think they are wrong.
“But I’m trying to find my groove in the industry, see if I can break The Voice curse and along the way stay true to myself — to put myself out there and be the person that makes that difference.
“Danny and Tom are supporting me along the way. I mean, what better people could I have to support me?”
The Voice UK will return to ITV1 and ITVX next year.
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Titchy bit rude is this
ALAN TITCHMARSH is a self-confessed prude when it comes to swearing on TV.
But that doesn’t mean the TV gardener has never used a bad word – he still remembers the first time he did so at home, aged 12.
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Alan told Gyles Brandreth on his podcast Rosebud: “Neither of my parents ever swore at home, not even a ‘bloody’ or a ‘damn’.
“One day, I went down-stairs and there was my dad, wearing his work clothes, and he was speckled with brown – and he said, ‘Go upstairs and tell your mother I’ve been showered in s**t’. He’d been at a hotel unblocking a sewerage pipe up a ladder, and it finally all came down.
“I was thunderstruck, thinking, ‘My father has just said s**t, which I didn’t even know he knew – and then he’s asked me to go upstairs and tell my mother that he’s been showered in s**t’.”
It takes Blu to tango
A WORLD-FAMOUS children’s TV character is taking to the Strictly Come Dancing floor for Children In Need.
Australian cartoon dog Bluey, inset below, will dance alongside Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Nychkova, Neil Jones, Gorka Marquez, Johannes Radebe and Michelle Tsiakkas in a playful dance routine.
The jive performance to Land Of 1000 Dances will include moves like The Mashed Potato, The Alligator and viral dance craze The Floss.
Viewers are being encouraged to get involved, sharing their moves as part of the #DanceWithBluey Challenge.
Neil said: “Many stars have taken to the ballroom over the years but this is next level. I can’t think of any better occasion for us to say ‘G’day!’ to Bluey than for BBC Children in Need.
“It’s going to be Fab-Blue-lous!”
Children In Need airs on Friday at 7pm on BBC One.
Going extra Miles
MADE IN CHELSEA brought Miles Nazaire fame but it sounds like he’s eyeing a future beyond London SW3.
In recent years he’s taken up other TV roles including earlier this year contesting the Dancing On Ice.
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He told today’s Monday Mile Podcast: “TV found me and I’m happy because it’s made me able to live the lifestyle that I want.
“But now I’m focusing on different things. I don’t know how much longer I will be in reality TV. Next year may look very, very different.
“I am in a French film that’s going to be at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s a short film, [with] a very big director/producer who has made big films in France.
“So I am now tapping into the film industry, which is going to be interesting.”
Next stop, Hollywood.
CORRIE bosses are to screen a live show featuring interviews with the cast following the big reveal in their Joel Deering murder case week.
Flash-backs will climax in the revelation of who killed Calum Lill’s character in September, before we hear from the cast. It airs this Friday at 9pm on ITVX.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
A FIRST look at BBC drama The Listeners sees Rebecca Hull play a teacher who is one of a chosen few able to hear a maddening din, which wrecks her life.
Also stars The Crown’s Prasanna Puwanarajah and Corrie’s Karen Henthorn, on BBC One and iPlayer from November 19.
