Suzanne Shaw

Suzanne Christine Crowshaw (born 29 September 1981), known as Suzanne Shaw, is an English actress, singer and television personality, who rose to fame after winning the talent contest Popstars and subsequently being a member of the band Hear'Say.

Shaw is now an established musical theatre and West End performer, actress, model and television presenter in her own right. She won the third series of the ITV skating show Dancing on Ice in 2008 and participated in the 'All Stars' series in 2014.

Shaw played the character of Eve Jenson in the soap opera Emmerdale.

At the age of two, Shaw started ballet and tap classes at the Janet Lomas School of Dancing in Bury. While training at the school, she took exams in ballet, tap and modern. She also performed in annual shows and competed successfully in dance festivals and competitions across the North West.

At five years of age, Shaw performed in her first amateur dramatics show, Annie. Shaw developed a love for theatre, performing in various amateur dramatic productions, including The Sound of Music and a West End production of Showboat at the age of nine. Shaw went on to train at Freelance Dance School and later became a member of an ABBA tribute band, The Right Stuff, and appeared in television roles including an Esso advertisement, Holby City, and a BBC production, Elidor. She also tried for the part of Maria Sutherland in Coronation Street, and made it to the final three along with Girls Aloud member Kimberley Walsh, but lost out to Samia Smith.

Shaw also developed her musical abilities, learning the recorder and violin, at St. Mary's primary school and later the saxophone at St. Gabriel's R.C. High School. After leaving school, she attended Oldham College.

Shaw's break came in 2000 when the ITV show Popstars launched a competition for contestants to become part of a newly formed pop band. Shaw had just turned 18, and attended the auditions and successfully made it through several elimination rounds. She was chosen as one of the ten finalists and became one of the members of Hear'Say, along with Kym Marsh, Myleene Klass, Noel Sullivan and Danny Foster, having beaten 4,000 other hopefuls. Their debut single was the fastest selling non-charitable record ever in the UK, selling 1.3 million copies. Their first album, Popstars, went on to sell 1.2 million copies in the UK, followed by their own television show entitled Hear'say It's Saturday, performing with established artists such as Lionel Richie, Joe Pasquale, Bradley Walsh, Blue and Atomic Kitten.

Subsequently, the band achieved a sell-out arena tour and performed numerous television guest appearances. They released their second album Everybody for the Christmas market in 2001.