SINGER Sondelle Whitaker says she was inspired to appear on ITV's 'X Factor' after a brush with cancer three years ago.
Sondelle, 35, who got through to the talent show's 'boot camp' stage after performing the ballad 'I'll Stand By You', found out she had a rare form of the disease when she had what she thought was a benign tumour removed.
She said: "It was a horrendous time. I am positive and I was determined it would not get me down. It has given me a new perspective in life.
"I felt I had nothing to lose if I entered the 'X Factor' and it was a good experience."
Sondelle, of Great Broad Ing, Redbrook, started singing in a group called Bonzai when she was 18. She grew up n Athersley North, attended Edward Sheerien school and studied beauty therapy at college.
As a solo singer, she has appeared all over the country and in places like Singapore and Germany.
She is also in a duo called Jazmine with her sister Lauren Clarkson, 22, who lives at Cudworth. She and her husband David, 39, run a property developing business and they have a daughter Mila, 6.
