‘She’s a diva!’

TANIA ALBONI, 46, FROM CHARLWOOD, IS… CHER

I’ve been able to mimic voices since I was a child, but Cher was the start of my career as a tribute act. In 1999 I was performing at a corporate gig in Sunderland when I met Darren, who was performing as Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall. We got together and started The Simply Red and Cher Show. This evolved into what we do today, the Ultimate Tribute Show, performing seven acts between us. While one of us is performing, the other runs off stage to transform into our next act. It’s easier for Darren, as I have to change my make-up! I sing as Shania Twain, Karen Carpenter and Amy Winehouse. But Cher is my favourite. I’ve sung as Cher in front of 32,000 at the Maspalomas Gay Pride in Gran Canaria in 2006 and earlier this year I was in Poland performing on live TV.

Darren and I don’t have kids and we’ve moved to Spain to renovate a house in the mountains. When I’m not up a ladder painting walls, I make wigs for myself and other tribute acts. It takes me two hours to turn into Cher, but when I don my outfit, wig and make-up, I bear a striking resemblance to the star. And even after nearly 25 years, I still love every minute of it. I haven’t met Cher and I’m not sure I’d want to. She has said she doesn’t understand why people want to impersonate her. But good tribute acts help keep their artist’s music alive. I love singing her big hitters, like If I Could Turn Back Time and Believe, because those songs get everyone on their feet. Come to my show and you’ll see fabulous costumes handmade by my mum. You’ll hear the voice and witness the personality, the look and the diva!