Dancing with the stars

AS A CHILD, Olivia Beckford had just one wish to make it out of the Anson estate in Longsight.

- PAIGE OLDFIELD

The 27-year-old grew up in a struggling household with six siblings but knew she was destined for stardom.

Despite having a passion for dancing, Olivia was not able to afford classes after school and temporarily put her dream on hold.

But the teen was tenacious and used her bus money to sell snacks in the playground so she could save up for dance lessons.

At the age of 13, Olivia discovered a youth club in Hulme that offered classes starting at just 50p. Olivia attended lessons once a week until the centre sadly closed due to a lack of funding.

She then found out about a new dance studio opening in Manchester city centre - but the lesson prices were out of her budget.

Determined not to let her dream die, Olivia rode her bike to the building and asked the owner if she could join on a scholarship. To her surprise, the owner agreed and the rest is history.

After securing her breakthrough gig as a backing dancer for Cheryl Cole on the X-Factor in 2014, Olivia -went on to become a hugely successful professional dancer.

She's signed with an agency in LA and has toured with major celebrities all over the world including Demi Lovato, The Black-Eyed Peas, Liam Payne and Jess Glynne.

Incredibly, she's even appeared in Disney's Aladdin and is set to feature in the upcoming live-action movie Snow White, which will be released in 2024.

Looking back at her achievements, Olivia finds it hard to believe just how far she's come.