Samantha Brookes was abandoned by her mother

Soulful singer Samantha Brookes was abandoned by her mother when she was 15. Twelve million viewers last night saw Sam, 31, overcome a terrible attack of nerves to get a standing ovation for her version of Whitney Houston’s One Moment In Time. Sam lived with her mum in Rhyl, North Wales, after her parents split when she was five.

She said: “But one day she just upped and left, leaving me with my stepdad. Since then we haven’t really ­spoken much. She is aware I’m on the show but she hasn’t been in touch, which is a shame.”

Now Sam juggles a job at Clinton Cards with ­looking after her father Dennis, who has a heart condition. She said: “I want to make him proud.”

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