Image from London Theatre.
X factor alumni turned presenter, Fleur East is to undertake the titular role of Tina Turner at the Aldwych Theatre this summer! The news being announced last week will be the West End debut of East, as well as the first time she steps into the world of theatre. The shared role will also continue to be played by Brit Nominated ex-Stooshe member, Karis Anderson.
Appearing on The One Show, East says “what an honour to play such a powerful woman”. The West End hit is entering its 7th year, and this is the first time the show has undertaken celebrity casting to play Tina. Previous actors playing the role include Adrienne Warren, Chanel Haynes, Aisha Jawando, and Zoe Birkett.
Fleur East rose to prominence on ITV’s X Factor in 2014, where she placed 2nd behind winner Ben Haenow. East’s performances were captivating, coincidentally performing Tina’s lesser known song ‘Fool In Love’, and most notably her rendition of ‘Uptown Funk’ by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars. The song was unreleased at the time, and after the performance, her version went straight to number one on the iTunes chart.
This prompted Ronson to release the song 5 weeks early. It debuted at number one the Official Charts. Since then she has released two albums, ‘Love, Sax and Flashbacks’ in 2015 and ‘Fearless’ in 2020, alongside singles such as ‘Sax’ and ‘Favourite Thing’.
East currently hosts BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two and Hits Radio. She also participated in an electric Tina Turner tribute on the main Strictly show alongside singers Laura Mvula and Beverley Knight. She is married to fashion designer Marcel Badiane-Robin. They welcomed their first child together in March 2024.
The singer and presenter will be playing the role for a limited engagement from 24 June to 13 September 2025, so be sure to grab your tickets on the days she will be playing the role. Check out her dates on the official Tina website.
