Cambridge-News
BIG brother's little sister Fiona Wilson is getting her own taste of stardom after she wowed Simon Cowell at her audition for The X Factor.
The talented 17-year-old travelled to London with her brother Stuart, a contestant on Big Brother, to sing for the panel of formidable judges.
Stars in her eyes: Fiona Wilson
The show sees hopefuls battle it out for a £1million recording contract and feisty Fiona beat nearly 75,000 entries to make it to the exclusive X Factor boot camp.
Fiona, of Ely, said: "My brother had a crack at reality TV and he was the one who saw there was an audition. I just thought it was a great chance to spend a day with my brother and have some fun - anything else was a bonus."
After hours of waiting, the trained opera singer sang O Mio Babbino Caro, a heartrending classic by Giacomo Puccini.
But not all of the judges were impressed with her voice - Sharon Osbourne did not vote for her to go through to the next round.
She explained: "They seemed a bit confused as to what to do with me. I was the odd one out in a roomful of Britneys.
"They said they liked my image and liked how I look and the way I dress. Simon said I was really interesting and he and Louis voted for me to go through."
Luckily Fiona didn't receive a scathing comment from any of the judges and thinks their nastiness is contrived to make better television.
She said: "They were all really nice and seemed really genuine. They saw me at the end of a long day and still seemed interested in what I had to offer. I was shocked when I got through."
The King's School Ely pupil has travels back to her native Macclesfield twice a month to have singing lessons.
She said: "I did my grade eight singing when I was 14 and got a distinction and it has spurred me on. I have sung at lots of concerts, weddings and funerals."
Her big brother, Stuart, 20, gave her a bit of advice as a veteran reality star and told her to "go for it".
Reality veteran: Big Brother's Stuart
Fiona has no desire to follow in his footsteps and become a celebrity but she dreams of becoming a professional opera singer.
She said: "Stu is trying to move away from that now and he has cut all his hair off but he still gets recognised.
"I have always looked up to him even before Big Brother, he is such a strong person and we are really close. But I don't fancy being in the media like him. As long as I'm performing I will be happy."
But she refused to comment on his recent split from fellow Big Brother contestant Michelle Bass.
She said: "I'm not allowed to talk about that."
Catch Fiona in the boot camp episodes of The X Factor, every Saturday on ITV1 at 7.05pm.