Charlotte Church to sing live for the first time in four years as she gets set to join Dorothy wannabes on stage

By Georgina Littlejohn

Voice of an Angel: Charlotte Church will perform with the remaining Dorothy hopefuls on Over The Rainbow tonight


It's been a long time since we heard that Voice of An Angel.

But tonight, for the first time in almost four years, Charlotte Church will pick up her microphone once again.

The singer, 24, will join the remaining contestants on Over The Rainbow to perform with them on the BBC talent show.

And it will be the first time she has sung in public since 2006, having taken a long break from the music business to raise two children and present her own chat show.

And apart from the odd tongue-in-cheek singalong with a celebrity guest on Channel 4's The Charlotte Church, she has not performed live since three she held three concerts in Cardiff, Glasgow and London in April 2006.

Church is a judge on the BBC talent show alongside actress Sheila Hancock, Eastenders star John Partridge and the man himself, Andrew Lloyd Webber


Listen to the master: Charlotte puts the Dotohy wannabes through their vocal paces in a scene to be shown on tonight's show


The show, which is presented by Graham Norton, aims to find an undiscovered female talent for the role of Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber's upcoming West End production of The Wizard of Oz.

But if Charlotte is nervous about stepping back under the spotlight again, the eight remaining Dorothy hopefuls are really excited about performing with her.

Speaking to the Sun, contestant Sophie Evans, 17, said: 'I'm flabbergasted that we'll actually sing a full song with her.'


Show me what you've got: Charlotte listens to all the 'Dorothys' sing as she prepares to perform with them this evening


And her fellow wannabe, 18-year-old Jessica Robinson added: 'It's fab knowing we've got an opportunity to sing with Charlotte.'

The show marks a return to the music business for Charlotte, who is back in the recording studio for the first time since she made her 2005 album Tissues and Issues, which spawned four top twenty singles including Crazy Chick.

She parted ways with her record company Sony in November 2006 and then became pregnant with her first child Ruby Megan, who was born in September 2007.


Decision time: Charlotte (middle) with her fellow Over The Rainbow judges (R-L) Sheila Hancock, John Partridge, show host Graham Norton and Andrew Lloyd Webber


It was the start of a break from showbusiness for Charlotte, who then fell pregnant again with her son Dexter who was born in January 2009, her second child with long-term boyfriend, rugby player Gavin Henson.

Recently she announced she had started writing and recording her sixth album, which is due out at the end of the year, and said it will have a different sound to her previous offerings and it'll be more mature with a 'kooky' vibe.

Having had a constant battle with her weight over the years, Charlotte has also been showing off a new slimline figure as she makes her way back into public life again.

Meanwhile, Lloyd Webber,a self-confessed cat lover, has revealed that the search to find Dorothy's Toto was a major challenge for him.


Original: Judy Garland as Dorothy with Toto in the 1939 movie

But he admitted that he 'rather enjoyed' choosing the dogs who will compete to become Dorothy's faithful sidekick.

Lord Lloyd-Webber reluctantly gave in to the BBC's appeals for him to include a search for Toto in Over The Rainbow.

Tonight viewers will see Lord Lloyd-Webber choose a final line-up of five dogs after ten hopefuls - and their owners - visited his mansion in Hampshire.

Lord Lloyd-Webber said: 'I somehow could never quite imagine myself being in this position - choosing a dog for one of my shows - but I've rather enjoyed the process.

'It hasn't been an easy decision for me, selecting the final five, but I was particularly drawn to the dogs I have chosen.

'Each of them could be a Toto in their own way. However, as adorable as they are, I remain a confirmed cat man.'

The Phantom Of The Opera composer has Turkish swimming cats - unusual for their love of water - and he said they were unaffected by the canine invasion of his home as they are 'at a superior level of intelligence'.


Hunt for Toto: Andrew Lloyd Webber in reality TV show Over the Rainbow


Last year the composer appeared to be in dispute with the BBC about the matter. He said: 'I had to point out to them that as a cat man, this was not something that I was very happy about at all.

'The whole thing fills me with extreme concern. I might insist on having a cat on the programme because I think the BBC as a public service broadcaster has got to give equal time, in my view, to cats.'

The dogs were selected after the BBC held open auditions earlier this month and more than 1,000 pets took part.

One dog will be chosen to perform at a one-off West End charity gala performance of the show.


source: dailymail