Soap star to soul star: EastEnders star Shona McGarty shows off amazing vocal talent as she sings on Children In Need
By JOHN JAMES
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She plays a tracksuit wearing nursery worker in EastEnders but was transformed for BBC's Children In Need.
Soap actress Shona McGarty left viewers gobsmacked when she appeared on television on Friday night showing off her vocal talent.
The 21-year-old sang A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke, and looked like a different person in her elegant outfit.
Soap star: Shona McGarty stunned viewers with her rendition of A Change Gonna Come, on Children In Need, on Friday night
The voice: The soap star performed well with the full backing of a gospel choir
Shona wore a floor length strapless red dress and had her long brunette hair down with a gentle waves in it.
Backed by a gospel choir the young actress was lauded with praise from co-workers and fans alike.
Adam Woodyatt, who plays Ian Beale in EastEnders, said on Twitter: 'Shona McGarty what a voice!!! #CiN'.
Another user agreed and wrote: 'I was really impressed by Shona McGarty tonight. I did not know who she was and thought it was a professional musician! #ChildenInNeed'.
Lady scarlet: Shona looked completely different to her onscreen persona of Whitney on EastEnders
Class act: The singer was dressed in a floor length red dress and had her long hair down over her shoulders
One person tweeted: 'Turns out best singer on #CiN all night was Shona McGarty who apparently is in Eastenders. All the "artists" on earlier hanging their heads'.
With her hidden talent out of the bag, Shona also surprised host Nick Grimshaw who spoke to her briefly after her performance.
He said to her: 'We didn't know you could sing like that.'
Home turf: One Direction performed twice on the show with their second number being more low key
Locks of hair: Harry Styles said he and the band had flown in especially to be part of the show
The young pretenders: One Direction got the biggest cheer of the night as the audience went wild for them
Shona took the positive feedback with great humility and said: 'Thank you very much. I really enjoy singing. It's a pleasure to be up here.
'I don't know about (being a) diva. I always liked singing songs. I was brought up listening to Motown and that was my favourite song.
'All day I've been literally been shaking.'
High hopes: Ellie Goulding was one of many performers that took to the stage in the name of charity
Sing it out: The blonde haired star showed off her legs in a pair of black shorts
Charming: The Script performed before lead singer Danny went for a chat with Fearne Cotton
While Shona put in a strong performance, it was one of the traditional pop acts who got a hugely warm reception.
One Direction flew into London especially for the show and open the broadcast with Live While We’re Young, before returning later to sing Little Things.
The boys looked immaculate in their crispy clean white trainers and slightly over styled outfits as the audience went wild for them.
The Xtra factor: Leona Lewis looked stunning as she took to the stage and performed
A little talented: The reigning X Factor champions showcased their very different styles
Step into the groove: Little Mix performed Change Your Life
Harry Styles said: 'Yes we've flown in specially for Children In Need. The last year for us has been amazing.'
Fellow X Factor alumni Little Mix performed Change Your Life, and Jesy Nelson said afterwards: It's absolutely amazing. We are privledged to be here today.'
Other acts on the night included The Script, Leona Lewis and Ellie Goudling.
A good cause: Jesy Nelson said the girls were honoured to be there and were really proud to perform
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2234279/Children-In-Need-2012-EastEnders-star-Shona-McGarty-shows-vocal-talent-sings.html#ixzz2CTW1w7fE
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