“My step-daughter and God-daughter, although young, are obsessed with Grease
as much as I was at their age. It really is a show for all generations.”

With a background on The West End stage, and having experienced the pop world first hand, Sinitta is relishing the opportunity to discover the new Sandy and Danny. Adamant that she’s the ‘fairest’ judge on the panel, her main task is keeping the boys in check. Having already charmed David Gest with her sexy outfits, and titling David Ian a ‘Sir’, it’s clear Sinitta is not to be underestimated.

What are you looking for in your ideal Sandy / Danny?
“For Sandy I’m looking for someone who is sweet and luminous with an inner fire. And for Danny they need to be gorgeous, sexy and very cheeky. And obviously they both need to be able to sing, dance and act.”

Which character did you most identify with when you were a teenager?
“I was so in love with all of them. I would have loved Sandy to have been my best friend.
But I think I was a bit more of a Rizzo at school because I was the naughty girl in the
class always clowning around and getting into mischief!

“And I always wanted to be a Pink Lady at school. My mum bought me some turquoise, satin trousers – like the black ones Sandy wore – and I used to scream blue murder when she tried to take them off me.”

What does the Grease movie mean to you?
“Grease was my film, my generation, the first musical movie that I saw. And it was that movie that made me realise I wanted to follow my family into the showbiz world.

“It’s amazing that my step-daughter and God-daughter, although young, are obsessed with the movie as much as I was at their age. It really is a show for all generations. “

What’s your first Grease memory?
“The Summer Lovin’ single was my first memory. I was in the lower year at boarding school and we were allowed to stay up as a special treat to watch Top Of The Pops and see them perform live. We all sang along to every word, in our pyjamas, sounding like screeching cats; and then the 6th Formers sent us to bed!”

In your high school yearbook, what would it read?
“I was the only black girl at school, with big candy floss hair, and I think everyone thought that I would be famous when I grew up because I was always a bit of a clown and entertainer.”

Danny Zuko or Kenickie?
“I actually thought Kenickie was cool when I was younger, and I thought by fancying him rather than Danny it made me cooler! But as I’ve grown up I have to say Danny because my husband is a dead ringer for John Travolta.”

What did you aspire to be when you were a teenager?
“Because of the Grease movie I always wanted to follow my family into showbiz and become an entertainer.”

What’s your favourite scene and song from the movie?
“I love the sad love songs like Oh Sandy and Hopelessly Devoted – the big romantic numbers.
“But it was the Drag Car Race scene that was my favourite.”

Did you ever have a summer holiday romance as a teen?
“No, I never went on holidays. I had a working mum so summer holidays never happened. My only holiday was a break from boarding school!”

Were you cool enough at school to be a member of the Pink Ladies / T-Birds?
“Yes, I was very hip at school; I was in with the right crowd. But I was the ugly one – all the pretty girls were the Sandy look-alikes with blonde ponytails, and I just had a big messy afro. But I got to hang with them because I was the funny one.”

Do you prefer Danny as a T-Bird or transformed into ‘preppy’ Danny?
“T-Bird Danny, definitely. I love all the leather and black T-shirts.”

Do you prefer Sandy before or after her transformation?
“When I was young I loved the goody-girl Sandy, but as I’ve grown older it’s definitely the new-look Sandy. That’s who I aspire to be now! She had a huge influence on my style.”

What role do you think you are going to take on the panel?
“I am the fair one. I have step-children of similar ages to the contestants, so I’m quite sensitive to that age group. And I need to keep all the boys on the panel in check, especially ‘Sir’ David Ian, as I’ve now dubbed him!”

What do you think makes you suited to being a judge on the panel?
“I was in showbiz from a young age; I did my first show at the age of 12 – The Wizz – then went on to have parts in Cats and Mutiny On The Bounty, among others. My career from early teens to mid 20s was based on the West End, so I understand the nervous audition process.

“After the West End I had my pop career and later in life returned to the theatre, so I really understand and appreciate what it takes to work on the stage and how demanding the life can be.

“In between my acting and singing work I’ve also worked closely with Simon Cowell and Universal, both mentoring and discovering acts for them, such as Natasha and Daniel Bedingfield.”

Had you met any of the other judges prior to the auditions?
“I’d never met DG (David Gest) or Brian before, but I have met David Ian once before. I actually auditioned for David for the part of Sandy back in 1993 and I got down to the final two, but obviously never got the part or the chance to be the first black Sandy.

“I think he pretended that I was ‘another’ Sinitta on the first day of filming but I made sure that he knew I was the same one!”

Any advice for the wannabes?
“My best advice to all auditionees, even if you’re not that good or confident, is to realise that this is a great opportunity and experience and, even if you don’t get through, you should be able to take away a lot of lessons from it.”

The dos and don’ts in auditions?
“Do not turn up showing us how scared and petrified you are and make excuses because of illness, etc. If you can’t get through your audition how are we, as judges, ever going to have confidence that you could perform live every night in front of a packed house? You need to fake it to make it.

“Do turn up brimming with confidence and give us your Oscar-winning performance; this is your one and only chance to shine and win us over so give it everything you’ve got. Bounce in and wow us.”

What is your best / worst audition scenario sitting as a judge?
“The worst is when I get a fit of giggles, and it is normally because of something one of the fellow judges, especially David Gest, has said, and not because of the auditionee.

“I have sent Simon Cowell so many text messages over the years giving him a hard time if he is rude or laughs at one of the acts on American Idol or The X Factor, and now I am finding myself doing it. I have to dig my fingernails into my palms to try and stop but once you’ve got a fit of the giggles it is so hard to stop.”

What are your top five tips for making it as Sandy or Danny?
“Don’t worry about what you look like – Sandy or Danny could be black or Asian; we are not necessarily looking for the traditional image.

“Know the words to your song; I cannot stress how important this is. Dress up and make the effort – show us you are serious. And before you come into the audition, warm up properly and get enough sleep the night before.

“Come to the audition with someone honest and supportive, so you either have someone to celebrate with or look after you on the journey home if you don’t make it.”