Niamh Forced to Leave I'd Do Anything

Five become four as BBC One's hunt to find the perfect Nancy comes ever closer to the crunch.

Niamh Perry had to bid farewell to her dream of becoming Cameron Mackintosh's Nancy last night when Andrew Lloyd Webber decided to put Rachel through to next week's semi final instead of her.

Niamh had been consistently praised in the competition thanks to her warmth and impressive vocal range. However, being rather too slightly built, a lot of the judges felt that she was too delicate for the role of the streetwise Nancy. She had tried to prove her mettle over the last week by having training sessions with some burly rugby players but, alas, the panel still couldn't see her as a 'tough enough' contender.

At only 17, she was one of the younger hopefuls but had earned her right to be in the competition through some fantastically mature performances. She was certainly one of our favourites here at Show and Stay^® headquarters, but we agreed with some of the panel's suggestions that the role might not be quite right for her yet.

Sunday was the third time that Niamh found herself in the dreaded sing off, this time against bookies' favourite Rachel Tucker. They had to duet a difficult song from Evita, "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" and we thought it was one of the best sing offs in ages. Obviously we weren't the only ones that were impressed. When what proved to be Niamh's swan song came to a close, Danise van Outen jumped to her feet to give a standing ovation. A flourish of heartfelt praise came from Andrew before he chose to save Rachel and send Niamh packing.

Next week the remaining Nancys hit the semi finals. Who will be the last to leave before the big showdown? See you next Monday for all the latest news and gossip from the I'd Do Anything front.

Published by: Nathan Brooker