Ariana Grande impersonator from Blackpool ‘mesmerises’ celebrity judges on new ITV singing show, Starstruck

Kearra Bethany, 32, transformed into singing superstar Barbra Streisand to belt out a rendition of ‘Don't Rain on My Parade’ alongside two other look-alikes in Starstruck, which aired on Saturday night.

The competition, which sees teams of impersonators compete side by side in a number of rounds, with one solo performer making it through to the final, is judged by Sheridan Smith, Adam Lambert, Beverley Knight and Jason Manford.

Commenting on Kearra’s team performance, Sheridan Smith said: “You just blew me away. That was phenomenal… To take on such an iconic woman is hard and all three of you absolutely nailed it.”

Jason Manford said: “There was glitz, there was glamour. It made me want to go to the theatre. I was just mesmerised.”

Kearra made it through to the final heat, but lost out on the £50,000 grand prize to fellow Streisand Keeley Smith.

She said: “Being on the show was really surreal. It was a dream come true. Looking back is just a blur, because it was quite emotional. It’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole life – to be on a big stage.

"I’m a very self-conscious person, so I was afraid of how I was going to be perceived, but when I watched it I was very proud of what I did and couldn’t have done more.”

Kearra, who lives on Preston New Road, is a carer by day – but also performs by night as an Ariana Grande tribute act. She auditioned for Starstruck as Ariana in February last year, but was offered the role of Streisand instead.

She said: “I’ve always been a Barbra Streisand fan ever since I was little. I was born into a musical family; I always wanted to do musical theatre and that’s the kind of feeling I give when I’m performing.”

Her partner Tom McLeod, 27, said: “Being on stage was something she should have done years ago, but she never got the chance. When people said she was amazing, she never had an experience like that before. She did herself proud.”

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