Feeds
How are you feeling, Jodie? Has it all sunk in yet?
"If I'm honest it hasn't really sunk in yet. I still can't believe it! I've done a couple of interviews today and they've replayed it, and it still gets me going just the same. It's the ultimate dream, isn't it?"
How were your nerves going into the final?
"Well, I've got to say - Liza Minnelli, can you believe we got to meet her? She gave us some really good tips for our nerves so I tried to use them as much as I could but my knees are still knocking. All three of us girls said we just want to go out there and enjoy it as much as we could."
When you first auditioned did it ever cross your mind that you'd win?
"Honestly, it never did. I came into it as probably the most inexperienced girl training wise. I'm just so grateful that every week, every challenge they gave me... We did the fight to step up to the plate and thankfully it saw me all the way through. I still can't believe it!"
Were you worried when Andrew and Cameron said they would choose Jessie over you?
"They are always going to have to say someone on the night. They came up to me afterwards and they couldn't have been happier. Andrew said to me they couldn't wait to start working and I'd make the most phenomenal Nancy. It's given me that fire in the belly and I want to get out there, like I have every week. I have fought fear and I'm going to fight to prove to them I am the right Nancy."
What will you bring to the role of Nancy?
"The one thing I just want is [to be] that girl that stands up there in the pub [and] cheers everyone up with 'Oom-Pah-Pah'. She's got to be that mother to Oliver. She's got to have that courage to stand up to Bill Sykes and, more than anything, she's got to have a lot of heart. I just want to give it everything I've got. I owe it to my family and my friends and all my supporters. Most of all I owe it to the public who picked up the phones and voted. I just can't wait to get out there and make the public proud."
Did you take on a maternal role in the Nancy house and who did you get on with the most?
"I used to cook them dinner sometimes. There was me, Rachel, Jessie and Ashley and... ooh Ashley, she is absolutely cracking, that girl. It was so quiet in the house and it upset me when Ashley left. She had such a good heart, that girl."
Rowan Atkinson has been cast as Fagin. How do you feel about that?
"I get dead starstruck me, I'm not good with famous people, I get all jittery and I say and I do stupid things. Once I've gotten over that I just can't wait to start working with him. I think he's a very, very talented man. I've grown up watching him so I get to work with someone I've watched for all those years on TV!"
Do you know who'll be playing Bill Sykes?
"Well, there's quite a few [possibilities], isn’t there? There's Danny Dyer and Burn Gorman. I have phoned George Clooney and Gerard Bulter, I'm hoping they'll get back to me in a couple of hours!"
Thank you, Jodie and congratulations!
"Thank you so much to everyone on Digital Spy, as well. They've been absolutely super with their support. I really do want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Oliver! will hit the West End stage next January.
