South Shields talented performer to tour with Strictly Come Dancing duo Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice

A South Shields woman has been announced as a cast member for Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice’s duo tour, Him & Me.

30-year-old Michelle Andrews has been dancing from a very young age, starting at only 2 years old, training at the Valerie Shepherd Dance Academy.

Michelle then took singing lessons, to help her towards becoming the multi-talented star she is today.

At the age of 16, Michelle further honed her craft by training at the prestigious theatre school, Laine Theatre Arts, where the likes of Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, Queen guitarist Freddie Mercury and musical theatre superstar Ruthie Henshall among many more famous faces have trained.

The South Shields performer also briefly starred in Byker Grove, which she describes as a “fantastic learning experience”.

Michelle said: “I was a big fan of the show before joining it so I always felt extremely lucky to have the opportunity to be a part of it.”

All of Michelle’s training from a young age helped her prepare for her career in the performing industry, to which she is now putting into practice.

Michelle explained: “I used to do a lot of amateur dramatics with Applause, based in Jarrow and with South Shields Amateur Dramatics.. It got me ready for the industry at a young age and I’m so thankful for that.”

Having previously performed in huge musical theatre productions such as Chicago, Guys & Dolls, OKLAHOMA! and more, Michelle’s most recent performances were as part of Strictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni Pernice’s Made In Italy tour, where she performed as the lead vocalist.

Although Giovanni’s Made In Italy tour has now come to an end, Michelle will remain in the Strictly Come Dancing world as her next role will be on the Him & Me tour, which stars both Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice.

Michelle will be part of the ensemble, as Anton and Giovanni lead the dancing extravaganza.

Michelle has actually worked on the show previously, on their 2021 tour and is looking forward to returning to the team. Michelle told us: “I’m really excited to be back with Anton and Gio. I did Him and Me in 2021 before touring with Chicago and it was brilliant.”

She continued: “I’m honoured to be doing it again this year after touring with Gio for the last five months. They are both amazing people and I feel very lucky to be a part of the show.”

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