Playing Tina Turner has had me in tears but inspired me too

WE don't need another hero but we do need singer Fleur East's powerful stage portrayal of the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Tina Turner.

- BY CHLOE THOMAS

The Strictly star has been wowing audiences as the pop legend, who escaped years of marital abuse from cocaine-addict husband Ike to become a multi-Grammy-winning superstar.

Playing Tina has been an inspiring experience for Fleur but also a stressful one. Acting out raw scenes of domestic violence and being called the N-word on stage has been harrowing.

Fleur was particularly moved when Tina visits her dying mum in hospital, which leads to the star finally breaking free from her husband's control.

She says: “In rehearsals I did the hospital scene in front of the entire company and I broke down and I was sobbing. I guess it allowed me to tap into the emotions of losing my father.

“But the director thanked me for allowing myself to be vulnerable in front of so many people, because apparently it’s very hard to do. I am very green to acting.”

Phenomenal

As a woman of colour, Fleur was distressed by the scenes of racial tension in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. She says: “There's a lot of language from the time, including the N-word.

“In the beginning when that was said to my face in rehearsals, it was really hard.”

But Fleur, 37, has also drawn great inspiration from Tina's incredible life, from grinding poverty in the US's Deep South to phenomenal success with hits such as What's Love Got to Do with it, Private Dancer and We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome).