Hairdresser Gemma Nelson swapped her curling tongs for cowboy boots when she was transformed into her music idol Shania Twain.

After a nine-year wait Gemma received a call from producers of Stars In Their Eyes and takes her place in the limelight next Saturday.

She started applying for the show after friends commented on her resemblance to the country music star when she was just 13.

Gemma, 22, who has a hair extension business, said it was a dream come true.

Like many other hopefuls she started her singing career in front of a pub karaoke machine but she hopes appearing on the show will propel her to fame.

An aspiring songwriter, she spends weekends performing in pubs and clubs and working on her own material.

The song Gemma chose to perform and whether she will be back for the final has been kept a secret.

She is planning to watch the show with her mum and dad at the Stars In Their Eyes party they are holding at the family home in Oaks Close, Horsham.

She said the day had been fabulous. After an afternoon of intense rehearsals, advice from the producers and a full Shania styling session, Gemma stepped through the famous doors to emerge in a cloud of smoke.

She said: "It was just mind-blowing. I loved it and I wish I could do it every day for the rest of my life.

"We filmed the bit with Cat Deeley earlier in the afternoon and the audience watch that on a monitor. Then you come out of the doors in front of everyone.

"I had applied so many times but I had never even had an audition before. I would say it was the best performance of my life but I will have to wait until I see it on TV."

Gemma opted for a pair of jeans and a mint green halterneck top instead of Shania's trademark leopard-print catsuit. Make-up artists and hairdressers spent hours on creating the look.

She said: "They told me I had to take my hair extensions out and they put a wig on. They had a photo of Shania so they could could do it all perfectly..

"They turned me round to look in the mirror and it was like I was Shania Twain."

Gemma met her idol last March after she bid £300 on eBay for a front row ticket to a Sheffield concert. The singer saw the banner Gemma was waving which read: "Let me have my picture taken with you Shania" and found herself on the stage.

Gemma said: "I am a massive fan. She is fresh and down-to-earth and has gone from rags to riches.

"She has gone from doing a small job in a poky old place to becoming a superstar. Her parents died in a car crash and she has managed to get through that. She is my inspiration and she just keeps driving me on to succeed."

Gemma is on Stars In Their Eyes on ITV1 at 6.05pm on February 19.