Big is best: The Voice winner Leanne says she won't lose weight to be a success

Big is best: The Voice winner Leanne says she won't lose weight to be a success

The Voice winner Leanne Mitchell said yesterday there’s fat chance of her being forced to lose weight to make it big.

Leanne, 28, has vowed to resist any pressure to change her image or slim down after her shock victory in the BBC singing competition.

The size 14 holiday camp singer said: “I am happy as I am. Believe it or not I am fairly fit already so I am OK.

“I have no plans to change anything at the moment.

“The only thing I want to do is maybe buy some new clothes and some thank you gifts for friends and family.”

Shy Leanne has revealed how The Voice coach and mentor Sir Tom Jones gave her an inspiring pep talk before she won the contest on Saturday in front of a TV audience of seven million.

She said Sir Tom, 71, “drummed it” into her she deserved to be in the final.

“All Tom kept saying was to go out there and be confident,” Leanne added. “That was his biggest thing with me, trying to build that up each week.

“I think you need an alter ego on stage. Winning has definitely given me more confidence.”

Vocal powerhouse Leanne beat fellow finalists Bo Bruce, Tyler James and Vince Kidd to win a £500,000 recording deal with Universal. She will soon begin work on her debut album.

Mentor: Tom Jones and Holly Willoughby congratulate Leanne

It’s a long way from Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton, Norfolk â€" where she has worked for more than 10 years â€" and her early days on the music circuit.

Leanne, from Lowestoft in Suffolk, said: “I started gigging when I was 13, doing pubs and clubs. I’ve played at a variety of pubs shall we say.

“Most were cool but some of the time there was only one person in the room and you hoped they wouldn’t leave.

“Hopefully now I can build on what has happened on the show.

“I never entered the competition thinking I would even be in the final. It feels surreal but I’m excited to find out what happens next.”

Leanne, who married Rob Hurren, 31, last year, triumphed in the emotional Voice final after belting out songs such as It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World, and Mama Told Me (Not to Come) as a duet with Sir Tom.

She also wowed the audience with her version of Whitney Houston’s 1993 hit Run To You. Leanne’s cover of the track has been released as her debut single and is available on iTunes.

The Voice final had a peak TV audience of 8.7 million and an average of 7.1 million.

It is better than the 4.5 million who watched the semi-final but way down on the 12 million who tuned in during early episodes of the show hosted by Holly Willoughby.

A BBC source said: “Expect big changes next year.”

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