A Shropshire dancer who won a national talent search on TV has landed her dream job – a place on a European tour celebrating the work of her hero, Michael Jackson.

Hollie Robertson, of Middleton, near Ludlow, shot to fame when she won the Strictly Dance Fever Show on BBC 1, hosted by Graham Norton. She has since been in demand at dance workshops around the UK and has also starred in West End musicals and appeared in pop videos.

Now she is set to tour Europe as part of a year-long musical show that celebrates the work of King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Hollie said: “I grew up watching videos like Michael Jackson’s Thriller and I always loved the way he moved. He was the best and he inspired me to start my own career as a dancer.

“To win a place on the European tour is a dream come true. I’ve already appeared at venues around the UK as part of a Michael Jackson tribute tour and I’m very much looking forward to the European dates.”

Hollie said it was her third time on the Michael Jackson tour. She said: “It’s kind of like a concert of his greatest hits, starting off from Jackson Five, through to Billie Jean and Thriller.

“I dance to more or less all of the songs. I love all of them. The second half of the show has lots of the stuff that I like, like Beat It and You Wanna Be Startin’ Something.”

Rehearsals for the tour start tomorrow and the tour begins in September. It will run for a year with gigs in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Austria and other parts of Europe.

Hollie added: “We hope to go to Asia after that. We’ll be on the road for a year.

“It was very sad when he died. That was a big shock to the system. I’ll be thinking of him a lot when I go on tour.

“It’s a dream job. I’d always wanted to work for him but now that will never happen.”