A Chester law graduate who only sings in the shower has said she is ‘over the moon’ after becoming the voice of Christmas in a tear-jerking Waitrose advert.
Beth Pernell’s angelic voice rings out as a young girl shyly hands over a gingerbread man at the end of the uplifting commercial.
The 23-year-old’s voice was chosen from thousands donated to the charity advert which has been shown on TV nationwide and become an internet sensation since it was first aired on Sunday night during the X Factor.
But Beth, who recorded her entry at her home in Vicars Cross, almost didn’t enter her version of the Dolly Parton hit ‘Try’ for the sound track – and even jokes that her shower singing annoys her neighbours.
“It was completely last minute, I saw the advert on Spotify, I thought it was for a good cause so I may as well give it a go,” said Beth, who until recently worked at Helsby Golf Club.
“It is a bit overwhelming, I haven’t done anything like this before. It is an amazing feeling hearing your voice on TV.
“I used to sing in high school, but I haven’t done much since then. I am mainly a shower singer. It has been a massive confidence boost for me.”
Beth, who spent hours learning the song before recording it and uploaded it to the ‘Donate Your Voice’ just as it was closing, said she didn’t think she had a chance of her entry making it onto the advert.
She was astonished when the supermarket giant wrote to her saying they were ‘blown away’ by her voice and wanted to use it as a solo in the soundtrack, produced by David Kosten, who has worked with some of the world’s biggest stars including The Flaming Lips and Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Beth’s voice now features on the charity single for Age UK, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity and The Trussell Trust, which supports food banks – and could even reach Christmas number one.
But Beth, who graduated with a first class degree in law from Liverpool John Moores, had no idea how prominently her clip was going to be used until her nana got an email with a sneaky first peep of the advert and was astonished to hear her granddaughter’s voice.
“I can’t believe that my nana [Jennifer] saw it before it was released, before it was seen by me,” said Beth, who recently started work as a claims handler at Greenlight legal firm on Sealand Road.
“She was so proud. It is an amazing feeling to hear my voice on TV.
“None of it felt real until I heard my voice on the advert. It is amazing to think mine is the last voice people hear.”
On Saturday night her parents, Lyn and Don, had everyone round at their Helsby home to watch the commercial aired live for the first time, and her cousin, who owns a pub in Liverpool, made all his punters watch the reality show just to hear her voice.
Her boyfriend Alex took her out for a meal to celebrate, but Beth said he, and the neighbours, were probably fed up of her singing by now.
But Beth still hasn’t watched the advert live on TV. She said: “It was shown three times on Sunday and we missed them all. I still haven’t seen it live, I’ve seen it on Youtube.”
She said she has been getting messages of support from her family and friends but, as her face isn’t on the advert, most people have no idea it is her voice they are listening to.
“I kind of like that in a way. I do not feel the need to shout it from the rooftop, my friends and family are doing that for me.”
But Beth isn’t letting the fame go to her head. She said: “For me this has been a very special experience, I am not expecting anything from it.
“I am an amateur singer who happened to see something she wanted to take part in. This is a small memory I can show my grand kids in years to come.”
