Leona hits the road

BEATS:

EVER since she stormed to victory in TV talent show “The X Factor”, Leona Lewis has seen her star continue to rise.

The honey-voiced Hackney princess has sold millions of albums across the globe and is one of Britain’s most successful musical exports.

Now Leona is preparing to head out on her very first UK tour, which will stop off at the Manchester Arena on Friday.

The 25-year-old has enjoyed number one hits with “Bleeding Love”, “A Moment Like This” and “Run” and chart-topping albums “Spirit” and “Echo”.

She performed at Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday concert at Hyde Park and represented Great Britain at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics alongside Jimmy Paige and David Beckham in 2008.

Filling the support slot at the Arena will be Australian-Italian songstress Gabriella Cilmi.

The teenager burst on to the scene in 2007 with “Sweet About Me” and recently returned to the charts with dancefloor smash “On A Mission”.