TV chef Rustie Lee wowed by Stokie singer on Channel 4 show Fame in the Family
A Stoke-on-Trent born singer is appearing on a brand new Channel 4 show tonight – where celebrity chef Rustie Lee compliments her ‘beautiful’ vocals. Fame in the Family is a tea-time entertainment programme that hit our screens on Monday. The series sees a bunch of celebrities host a dinner party with strangers, one of whom is actually related to the famous face.
It’s been described as a cross-over between Come Dine With Me and Who Do You Think You Are. Four members of the public will be seen taking part in a series of dinner party games, in an attempt to work out who has fame in their family.
Tonight’s episode will feature former Maryhill High School student Vanessa Bebbington. She joins three other contestants as one of them will be announced as a relative of Jamaican TV personality, Rustie.
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Vanessa, 24, was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme to a Jamaican mother and has been singing since she was five-years-old. She’s performed in local pubs and festivals including the Six Towns carnival and London Road festival. She is also a passionate cook specialising in Jamaican food – could she be related to Rustie?
She told StokeonTrentLive: “I’ve got an interest in ancestry DNA. I did mine two years ago and have done nothing but research everyday. I am in a Jamaican DNA roots group because I am half Jamaican. They advertised they are looking for people of afro-caribbean descent to take part in the show. I was like I am going to do it.
“My mum is Jamaican and my dad is Stokie. They got back to me and asked me all kinds of questions about my family. They said they would love to have me on the show. I was really excited and still am.
“After that they kept asking for information and pictures. They asked for videos of me singing and they were asking me if I liked cooking. That’s where Rustie Lee comes in because she is a TV chef. I have a big interest in cooking too.
“I love cooking Jamaican food, it’s one of my favourite things to do. I do ackee and salt, jerk chicken, brown stew chicken. I do nearly everything.”
Vanessa filmed for the programme last October at Manchester Hall. She added: “It was an amazing experience. We got along so well. She’s (Rustie Lee) got the funniest laugh and is the most bubbly person. She is very friendly and she can definitely cook.
“We played three games during the show. We were talking about the family and as we were talking and showing pictures and special ornaments; each of us had to guess who was related to Rustie, it could be any of us.
“I am super excited. It’s going to be an amazing episode. It’s really interesting and it’s new. It’s something no one has done before so it would be really nice for people to watch it. I did get to sing I will always love you by Whitney Houston too. Rustie was like ‘that’s so beautiful’. It was the best experience having somebody like Rustie Lee tell me that.”
This episode of Fame in the Family airs on Channel 4 at 5.30pm tonight (March 17).
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