Alfie Boe

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After signing a record contract in September 2006, Lancashire-born tenor Alfie Boe quickly became one of the hottest stars of the classical music world. A life as a singer wasn't always on the cards for the handsome star, however. With the encouragement of colleagues and customers who'd heard him singing arias while at work, he left a secure job as a mechanic to pursue his dream of a career in opera, enrolling at the Royal College of Music and the National Opera Studio in London. "It was a tricky decision, one I was excited to take," he remembers. "I just wanted to go for it to see if I could make it." The gamble paid off when his debut album reached number one in the classical music chart. Since then, Alfie - who fell in love with opera aged 11 while listening to his father's record collection - has toured the UK and performed on Broadway in the sage version of Moulin Rouge.