DanceX hopeful, Rana Roy has revealed that she has been greatly inpsired by former Spice Girl, Melanie C.

Rana danced in Mel’s single, ‘I Got Candy’ and was thrilled to be given some tips by her idol.

“Mel was really nice. I’ve always been a fan so it was great to work with her,” Rana told The People. “Seeing just how talented Mel is proved to be a massive inspiration for me. It was so surreal to finally be dancing for one of my childhood heroes. It made me so happy.

“Mel was much better than I thought she’d be. It really felt like the start of my future. I’ve always been nicknamed ‘Mel B’ by my friends because of my hair and there I was dancing alongside Sporty Spice. Now I want to use everything I learned with Mel to help me find success on DanceX.”

The show, which follows the search for a new dance act, continues next Saturday at 6.50pm on BBC One.

Rana, 20, was born in London but has lived a privileged lifestyle in both Dubai and America. She started dancing when she was nine-years-old and soon decided that she wanted to make it her career, much to the disapproval of her Muslim mother.

At 16 she moved back to London to join the London Studio Centre, where she graduated last September, and has since gone on to work professionally dancing in music videos for Mel C and Calvin Harris. When asked about her motivation for DanceX she says the programme will give her the perfect combination of dancing and singing.