WEST END STORY: Helena Blackman (How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?)

Miracle Maria Helena Blackman trained at the Guildford School of Acting in Surrey, having gained a scholarship for the three-year musical theatre course. Two years after graduating, she auditioned for How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, a decision that she says considerably changed her life: "Any amazing experience in life can make you feel differently about things…the world, the industry you're in, your ability, your ambition. You want more of the success you've had, and subsequently you change as a person and grow up a bit. All of these things happened to me. I also managed to buy my flat in London which is great!"

Helena, decked in pink, earned the moniker "Miracle Maria" as a result of being saved by the Lord himself in no less than four sing-offs. Throughout the programme, Helena sang songs ranging from Charlotte Church's belty 'Crazy Chick', which unfortunately placed her in the first ever sing-off, to Barbra Streisand's heartfelt 'Woman in Love', which proved to be a far more popular song choice with the public.

In the final week of the programme, Helena sang 'Cabaret' and 'Do-Re-Mi', pushing Siobhan out of the competition at the semis stage, and taking her through to the final against Connie, where she performed her favourite song from the series, Streisand's 'Woman in Love'. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be for Helena, missing out to Connie in the final stage of the competition. Yet she looks back on her time in the show with fondness: "It was an honour to be able to entertain millions of people, and bring enjoyment to people's lives…that's very special and is certainly one of the things I'm grateful for as a performer."

Despite seeing her Maria dreams dashed, and narrowly missing out on the honour of being strapped to an Alp, she remained faithful to Rodgers and Hammerstein, going on to land the role of Nellie Forbush in the 2007-2008 UK tour of South Pacific, a performance which scored her a nomination for a TMA Award for Best Supporting Actor. Since appearing on the reality show, she has also starred in Sondheim's Saturday Night at the Arts Theatre, as well as in various concerts including Michael Bruce’s A Little Less Ordinary at the Apollo Theatre, Night of 1000 Voices at the Royal Albert Hall, A Spoonful of Stiles and Drewe at Her Majesty’s Theatre (which has since been released on CD), and Friday Night is Music Night for BBC Radio 2.

Having experienced the highs, lows and extreme pressure of a televised audition process, Helena presumably has a relatively unique insight into just what our Dorothys are going through. Couple this with the familiarity she has with the character, after playing Dorothy herself in December 2006 in Leicester, and I would say that our girls would do well to take Helena's advice: "Try and enjoy the experience as much as possible, don’t take it for granted. Every Saturday night that you get to perform live and entertain millions of people is a prize in itself. There are many people who could only dream of having the opportunity we do - don’t waste it."

Helena's debut album of Rodgers and Hammerstein songs will be released in the autumn. For more details, check out her website and follow her on Twitter: @helenablackman

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