My career has taught me to fight hard for what's mine

Jul 1 2005 By Dawn Collinson, Liverpool Echo

IT'S a good job that Gabrielle wasn't trying to launch her career now, in the spotlight of reality TV and with Simon Cowell holding her future fortunes in his hands.

Because, she admits, there's no way in the world she would ever have made it as far as the X-Factor queue, let alone to face the judges' cutting comments.

"Oh no," she laughs, "I'd be far too nervous to ever do anything like that. I swear to God, I've never had a night when I've gone on stage and not been nervous and I think maybe the day I do I should give up.

"I know it's a good energy to have but honestly, sometimes, it's touch and go and I'm literally shoved onto that stage.

"So something like X-Factor, where you know in the back of your mind that millions of people are tuning in, would terrify me.

"I give these kids all credit because some of them are completely faultless, but even if I could I've never had the desire to do that. The reality is I've just come to sing, I've not come to party or get my face in magazines.

"Everybody has their dreams and I have mine, but mine were always quietly brewing rather than bursting out."

Gabrielle ... Dreams? Sounds like a cue for a song.

In fact, not only that, it was the cue for a career which has spanned 12 years, brought her two Brits, two Mobos and 10 top 10 hits.

Dreams was the song which brought the then eye-patched east Londoner to everyone's attention. It won her an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the highest debut chart position and stayed at number one for three weeks.