Roxanne makes X Factor cut

Monday 25th September 2006, 10:40AM BST.

Roxanne, pictured, touched the heart strings of the judges when she told them her confidence had been knocked from an early age after she was caught up in a bomb explosion in Northern Ireland when she was just 14.

She said she always wanted a singing career but following the attack, which left her with scars, she couldn’t go out or face crowds.

Today she spoke of her experience on the show, filmed at the Birmingham NEC in April.

She said: “I was so nervous I could feel my heart missing a beat. I hadn’t sang for so many years.

“I couldn’t believe it when I got through, I was so happy. I didn’t think I would get through because my voice was shaking so much.”

Mrs Gregory wowed the judges with a performance of Show Me Heaven by Maria McKee.

She added: “I was really, really nervous but they were very nice.”

She said her life came to a standstill following the bomb explosion, but with the encouragement of family and friends she plucked up the courage to follow her dream.

Viewers must watch next week to see how she gets on in the boot camp. Mrs Gregory received further star treatment today when she appeared on GMTV and LK Today.