STACEY SOLOMON, the single mum from Essex who won the hearts of viewers in last year’s X Factor, is talking about the whole experience of doing the reality talent show.

“Every day I thought, ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this’,” she says.

“It was such a good feeling. I loved it.”

She has no regrets about the whole thing, adding that the final shows were amazing. “That was the biggest milestone. That whole weekend was so special. I never thought anything about who’s going to win, I just wanted to work really hard and do what would I could.”

Twenty-year-old Solomon had to be content with third place, but only after she’d dueted with Michael Buble (“he’s such a talented man and such a nice man, so funny – I had a great time”).

That was followed by the X Factor tour when she and the other finalists got to perform in the biggest venues, including Newcastle Metro Arena and The 02 in London.

Having lost out to South Shields singer Joe McElderry in the competition, the singer dubbed “the Dagenham diva” will be singing on his home turf as part of the South Tyneside Summer Festival. She appears in the free open-air concert in Bents Park on July 25.

As we talk over the phone – and her voice, as viewers of The X Factor will remember, is pretty distinctive –she’s having her hair and make-up done for an appearance on C4’s The Five O’Clock Show with Lenny Henry. It’s one in a series of TV and concert appearances she’s made since the end of the talent show.

“I’ve been really busy, making the most of it – and really enjoying it,”

she says.

Last year wasn’t her first go at getting on the X Factor. She auditioned before when she was 16 but failed to get through. This time she took time out from studying at musical college to try again – and found her way to boot camp and the final selection.

“I’ve always loved singing, although I never did it as a job. I used to go to karaoke when I was younger.

Then I was studying musical theatre.

I was hoping that if I didn’t get a break I could teach.

“I just enjoy singing. It’s something that makes me happy.”

The thing she missed most, of course, in the weeks she was living in the X Factor house was her son Zachary, now two.

She takes him with her whenever possible. “I try to make as much time as possible to be with him,” she says.

In the future, she’s hoping to record and says there are “different things I would like to do – I don’t know what, but I’m going to work really hard”.

ANOTHER talent show discovery Gareth Gates, runner-up in the first series of Pop Idol, will be joining Solomon in the South Tyneside Summer Festival on July 25.

He’ll be taking time out from starring in the UK touring production of Les Miserables to perform live at the festival, supported by South Tyneside Homes.

Since Pop Idol, Gates has scored seven top five singles, fronted his own documentary, appeared on ITV’S Dancing On Ice and taken over from Lee Mead in the lead role in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in London’s West End.

Also on the bill on July 25 are Lancashire girlband P5, South East boy band Kaos Theory and British DJ/rapper Ironik.

Tomorrow, chart-topping reggae act Aswad, with support from Northeast cover band The Moobs, appear in the Bents Park series. Pop legend Tony Christie and South Shields band The Throes appear on August 1.

Gates for each of the free concerts open at 12.30pm. Visitors are welcome to take picnics and refreshments.

Additional festival highlights this month include the Brass Band series and Music in the Bandstand series with performances between 3.30pm and 5.30pm every Sunday at the South Shields Amphitheatre, and at the South Marine Park Bandstand every Saturday at various times.

Both series continue next month.

For more information or a free festival guide visit southtyneside.

info/summerfestival or call 0191-454- 6612.