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You are Nancy! 28-year-old Jodie from Blackpool wins ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One's
I'd Do Anything
Tonight's grand final of I'd Do Anything live on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One saw Jodie Prenger triumph in the public vote and win the role of Nancy in the new Cameron Mackintosh West End production of Oliver!
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Immediately after landing one of the best loved roles in musical theatre, 28-year-old Jodie said:
"You have genuinely given me my dream, I can't actually put into words how I feel.
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"I'm so grateful and so chuffed. I'm just Jodie from Blackpool and to be here is my dream." Ìý
Legendary composer and producer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who had absolutely no say in the choosing of Cameron's leading lady as viewers voted to select their Nancy, was thrilled with the public's choice.
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He said: "She's the people's choice. I think people love her, they love her open personality. I think they relate to that personality and I think that's what makes her Nancy for the public.
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"Her strengths are her personality and her very, very strong voice."
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Cameron Mackintosh said: "I'm thrilled for Jodie. She is obviously the public's view of what they want to see as Nancy.
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"She'll give a terrific performance and I really look forward to putting her into training and getting her into rehearsals."
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Torchwood and West End leading man John Barrowman said: "Jodie is not only a good Nancy. She'll be a great Nancy, because she's what everybody expects a Nancy to be.
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"She's got a great voice, she's got a motherly instinct with the kids, she's also a fighter and she represents the women of this country and that's what I think will make her great.
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"Women can empathise with her and to be honest with you she will be not only a great Nancy but she'll be a superstar. She will go on to do other things more incredible than Oliver!"
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West End leading lady Denise Van Outen said: "She's beautiful, every woman can relate to her on all life experiences, as she has had that as she's a little bit older than the other girls in the competition.
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"She deserves it as she sings from the heart."
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Dame Edna Everedge star and former Fagin Barry Humphries said: "Jodie has a great voice and a very commanding presence. With a flick of the wrist she could kill Bill Sikes.
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"She's a warm and emotional performer who will bring her own strong personality to this role."
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Presenter Graham Norton said: "I think Jodie really is the people's Nancy. That's what makes the show exciting, that it really is the public in the end that decides who gets the role. I just think Jodie has so much heart and warmth and you believe her.
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"At the very beginning Andrew and Cameron talked about a woman not acting, just walking on and you believed that she'd lived a life and you absolutely do with Jodie.
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"You don't have to imagine that she's had hard knocks - you know she has."
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Over the course of a tense and dramatic evening, Jodie performed alongside fellow finalists 18-year-old Jessie Buckley from County Kerry and 17-year-old Samantha Barks from Isle of Man.
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All of them set out to prove to the public that they had the power, range and emotion to become a West End leading lady. Ìý
After an opening performance of I'd Do Anything, each finalist performed a solo, a duet with one of the winning Olivers and a trio of Maybe This Time from Cabaret.
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After performing their songs and receiving the usual round of feedback from Andrew Lloyd Webber and the expert panel of Denise Van Outen, John Barrowman, Barry Humphries and Cameron Mackintosh, the Nancys faced the agony of waiting to hear who was in third place.
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At the end of the first live show, Samantha received fewest votes, putting her in third place.
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Samantha said after her eviction: "I'm very, very proud of myself – I made it to the final which is something I thought I'd never do.
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"It's been an amazing experience – thanks to everyone who has supported me."
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In the second live show of the evening, the two remaining finalists, Jodie and Jessie, both performed the Nancy classic As Long As He Needs Me, and their favourite songs of the series – I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston for Jodie, and The Man That Got Away from A Star Is Born for Jessie.
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It was then time for Graham Norton to break the news that Jodie was Nancy, leaving Jessie in second place.
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Jessie said after the show: "I'm crying tears of happiness because I've just had the happiest experience of my whole life! It's onwards and upwards and now I'm reaching for the moon."
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There was also a Nancy and Oliver reunion tonight as all 12 Nancys and Olivers performed I'd Do Anything.
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And there was also a special performance from Lee Mead, last year's winner of the competition to find Joseph, who performed Any Dream Will Do with all 12 Olivers.
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Notes to Editors
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Live Final at 6pm
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Nancy solo performances
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Jodie: Son Of A Preacher Man
by Dusty Springfield
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Samantha: Anyone Who Had A Heart by Dionne Warwick
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Jessie: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack
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Duets
with the winning Olivers
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Jodie & Laurence: Getting To Know You from The King And I
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Samantha & Harry: Singin' In The Rain
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Jessie & Gwion: Truly Scrumptious from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
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After the duets all three final Nancys sang Maybe This Time from Cabaret
and Lee Mead and all 12 Olivers performed Any Dream Will Do
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Results show
at 8.45pm
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Jodie & Jessie: As Long As He Needs Me
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The 10 Nancys and nine Olivers who didn't reach the final sang Never Forget by Take That
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Jodie: I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston
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Jessie: The Man That Got Away from A Star Is Born
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Jodie's winners performance: As Long As He Needs Me
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CS/JD
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