AN entertainer from Braintree made an appearance on a primetime Saturday night television show.

Loran Sheppard, 30, made her TV debut on Saturday’s Even Better Than the Real Thing.

The show, hosted by Paddy McGuiness, features tribute acts to some of music’s best-loved artists, pitting them against each other in singing battles.

Miss Sheppard, of the Farview Estate, Braintree, appeared as Australian singer-songwriter Sia, an act she only started imitating in November.

She said: “It came about when I was performing at a holiday camp and one of the reps had a wig. I asked to try it on and he asked me to perform a Sia song whilst wearing it.

“It went down well and as I was singing a lot of her songs anyway I thought about giving it a go. I am a huge fan and I knew so much of her music already.

“The show came about when the BBC producers rang me up saying they had seen I was a Sia tribute act and it went from there.

“They asked me if I was interested in being involved in a new show and I jumped at the chance.”

The full-time entertainer, who works as both a DJ and singer as well as a tribute act, filmed the TV show at a theatre in London’s Leicester Square several weeks ago before it aired on BBC One at 7pm on Saturday.

While her singing battle did not make the cut for the final edit, Miss Sheppard was still featured throughout the show and is hoping she’ll get another chance to impress at a later date.

She said: “It was an absolute blast and all the other acts were so lovely. There were a few of them that have asked me details to pass on to different agencies.

“Hopefully this will help me progress with the tribute act and perform at bigger venues.”

Visit www.facebook.com/SiaTributeThisIsActing.