It was back in April that an unknown church volunteer from West Lothian walked onto the stage at the Britain's Got Talent auditions with one dream – to sing like Elaine Paige. And thanks to her meteoric rise to fame, Susan Boyle has gone one better and actually performed live with her idol in a Christmas special based on the Scottish sensation's success.
The 48-year-old was kept in dark about the surprise pairing until shortly before the duet. So she looked understandably overwhelmed as she teamed up with the musical theatre star to sing Elaine's hit I Know Him So Well.
Speaking after the event, Susan – who had previously admitted to singing along to Elaine's music with a hairbrush for a microphone – said: "I never thought I would see myself standing on the same stage with such an icon from West End theatre, let alone singing with her as an equal."
It was a great experience too for 61-year-old Elaine, who added: "It was a pleasure to finally sing with Susan, she was a delight to work with and I think we more than did justice to one of my favourite songs."
The duet took place as part of ITV's one-off show I Dreamed A Dream: The Susan Boyle Story, which will be aired on Sunday. As well as showcasing her incredible vocals, Susan, who has sold three million copies of her debut album, showed off some of her dance moves.
While singing the ballad Who I Was Born To Be, she broke into an energetic routine to cheers from the audience. And when asked by producers to remain still while they filmed it again, she did the same thing again.
During the show, Susan was also presented with a gold disc by Piers Morgan to celebrate her record breaking the one million sales mark.
