BRITAIN’S Got Talent’s latest overnight sensation, Hollie Steel, almost missed her audition after fears her voice wasn’t at its best.

The 10-year-old schoolgirl from Huncoat had been suffering from a severe cold and lost her voice just weeks before the ITV show auditions in Manchester in January.

The Oakhill College pupil’s mum, Nina, 37, revealed her daughter feared she hadn’t practiced enough and was getting cold feet before the show.

But the youngster’s family persuaded her to give the audition a try where she wowed the judges including Simon Cowell.

She starred in Saturday’s edition of the hit programme, which showed Simon Cowell was seconds away from pressing his buzzer to eliminate Hollie just before she began to sing I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady.

Nina, who works as an audiologist for East Lancashire Teaching PCT with husband Jason, 38, said: “A week before the show she didn’t want to go.

"She had lost her voice and had to rest it so she hadn’t really practiced.

"She practiced for a couple of weeks but Hollie is a bit of a perfectionist.

"But on the night of the audition she hit the high note.”

The musical family which includes brother Josh, 15, watched the show at their home in Huncoat on Saturday with close friends.

Nina said: “Hollie is really, really happy. She has been practicing new songs ready for the next show in May.

“Hollie really likes Simon and he did her a favour by giving her advice on how to improve. She wants to improve.

"She is a 10-year-old who wants to do well. She is glad that Simon has given her a chance.”

Hollie, who suffered from pneumonia when she was four years old, has been bullied in school for her height and her voice.

Nina said one child had told Hollie that she “sounded like a cat being strangled” when she sung.

The school have been working with Hollie’s parents, who are pleased with the school’s action, to put and end to the bullying.

Nina added: “It was me who said she should do some dancing because it is a variety show.

"We don’t know what would have happened if she had started singing three or four seconds later.

"From the side of the stage we didn’t see Simon was about to buzz her.

"It was only when we read it in the papers and watched the show that we saw that.”