She was the kooky, quirky queen of The X Factor - a gorgeous young Debbie Harry lookalike, who was tipped to win right from the start. Then came the backlash.
Critics mocked her strange hand move, there were the rumours of romance with fellow contestant Eoghan Quigg behind her boyfriend's back, and allegations of "special treatment" after she was allowed to miss a sing-off following a bout of laryngitis. By week nine, Diana Vickers had suffered a spectacular fall from grace and was unceremoniously voted off the show.
She could have suffered the fate of dozens of other X Factor wannabes, playing to ever decreasing crowds in working men's clubs. Steve Brookstein, anyone?
Instead, it is Diana who has had the last laugh. Not only has she received rave reviews for her acting performance in The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice in the West End, but she has just put the finishing touches to her new album, Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree. She has co-written 13 of the tracks, and her debut single, Once, has been penned by Cathy Dennis, the musical genius behind Kylie's Can't Get You Out of My Head, making it a dead cert to top the charts. Watch out Alexandra Burke!
In fact, 18-year-old Diana has found herself at the forefront of a new breed of young female stars, like Pixie Lott and Miley Cyrus, who aren't content to be brilliant at just one career. Oh no. These have-it-all heroines are all-singing, all-dancing and all-acting, too. So what's Diana's secret? Losing The X Factor, apparently.
"I'm so grateful I didn't win," she says. "I think the originality is stripped away from those who do make it. Between then and now, I've been given time to grow, do Little Voice, which I'd never been able to do had I won."
Not that Diana ever had any doubts she'd make it to the top. "I always knew I'd get here," she explains. "At the age of seven, people would ask me what I wanted to do when I was older and I'd say: 'Be a singer'".
But her confidence took a knock when she lost the public vote. "After X Factor I felt sad because I missed everyone. I'd been in that house for nearly 10 weeks and it was very intense. I didn't feel like anyone outside understood me. My friends had broken up with boyfriends, had arguments and I'd missed out on it. I'd been in a different world."
However, she didn't have long to wait for her second bite of fame. Four months after the X Factor tour finished, she was told that the chairman of record company RCA, Craig Logan (yes that bloke from Bros), wanted to meet her.
I've been offered drugs but I've always said no
"All I could think was how cool he was for being in Bros," she says breathlessly. "I was in there for 10 minutes, he shook my hand and looked at me. It was like he was weighing me up. I told him I wanted to write my own music and had my own ideas for the album, and he said: 'Let's give it a go.'"
Diana signed an album deal on the spot. And like any teenage girl, she hit the shops.
"The money gets filtered in every month. The first time I looked at my balance after I'd been paid I nearly had a heart attack. I've never had that much money in my life," she says. "That first shopping spree was like every girl's dream! I went to Harrods and bought three dresses from Stella McCartney and Alice Temperley. I was shaking when I handed over my card."
But she didn't just splash out on herself. Diana also bought her mum, Ann, a Mulberry handbag for Christmas and gave her older sister, Charlotte, 22, money to go to drama school as well as whisking her off to Paris for the weekend. And, for her 18th birthday in July, she celebrated with a £5,000 bash in a swanky London nightclub with those other X Factor runners-up, JLS.
"About 20 girls from home came. They get a bit giggly around JLS. I was being cool, saying: 'They're my mates, I'm over it,' but I was screaming inside. On the night of the BRITs, I was out having dinner and got a text saying JLS had won a BRIT then another one. I toasted them. They've inspired me."
While Diana is happy getting tiddly on champers, she insists that she's never been tempted to try anything harder, despite the showbiz circles she now moves in.
"People have offered me drugs," she confesses. "But I've never tried them. And I'm very proud of that. I see people around me who are off their head on ketamine and I think "Look at yourself, you're an absolute mess."
It's a pretty down-to-earth attitude for someone who has achieved so much in such a short space of time. And Diana attributes her refreshing attitude to one person. Her mum Ann scrimped and saved to put Diana and her sister through private school in Blackburn.
"I'm definitely not a diva," she says shaking her head. "My mum always taught me that you get what you're given, you eat what you've got on your plate, you say thank you and you wash it up yourself. That's always stuck with me."
Though not even her unfailing politeness will persuade Diana to open up about the new man in her life. When pushed, all she says is: "I met him through one of my friends and we've been seeing each other for two months. He's an actor who's been in Les Miserables and he wants to be in movies."
Keeping quiet about her love life is understandable given the scandal surrounding her are-they-aren't-they romance with Eoghan Quigg, then 15. When they were pictured snogging it made headline news. It also came as a huge blow to her boyfriend of two years, student Chris Jones. But Diana's defiant.
I don't think I'm sexy, but I like my body
"I don't regret kissing Eoghan," she explains. "I was young and if you want to do something and it feels right, you do it. We spent so much time together the lines were blurred. I felt bad for Chris and sorrys were said, but I didn't apologise for my feelings. You just get over it and move on to the next person."
Spoken like a true teen! Her attitude to love is the only thing that gives her age away. Like in our '70s inspired shoot, Diana acts and looks older than she is. All curves, legs and hair, she's got the confidence to love her body and refreshingly refuses to give in to any angst.
"I get spots and I'm baby-faced," she says. "I don't think I'm sexy, but I like my size-10 body. I want to be a positive role model."
With her head firmly on her shoulders, a style all of her own and talent to boot, Diana is certainly that.
- Diana's single, Once, is out tomorrow and her album Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree is released May 3 on RCA Records.
The do-it-all divas
It used to be that singers just, well, sang. But not any more. Just like Ms Vickers, these bright young things are on their way to being multi-talented multi-millionaires
Sarah Harding, 28
Singer, actress, model and businesswoman. Is there no end to Sarah Harding's talents?
It was no real surprise that this Girls Aloud party animal should set up her own drinking den. Last year, she launched trendy East End club Kanaloa with DJ boyfriend Tom Crane and Mahiki owners Piers Adam and Nick House.
"The club wasn't a reason to go out and party, but a business opportunity," she insists. There comes a time when you need to grow up.
The enterprise is already doing so well that there are plans for four new bars.
Sarah has set her sights on maxing her acting opportunities. She's already had roles in both St Trinian's films, as well as starring in independent movie Bad Day and a BBC2 drama. Next up Hollywood, we reckon.
She has also made £100,000 as an underwear model for Ultimo.
Extra earnings: £250,000 for her acting and modelling work. If Kanaloa continues to be a success, she could make as much as £2million.
Nicola Roberts, 24
Like Sarah, Nicola hasn't been waiting around for Nadine Coyle to return to the fold. She's been making the most of her features with a make-up range called Dainty Doll, specifically designed for pale-faced beauties. She's also ventured on to the small screen as presenter on the BBC3 documentary The Truth About Tanning and is now the face of a campaign group hoping to ban under-18s from going on sunbeds.Extra earnings: £150,000 as it is still early days for her Dainty Doll range.
Lily Allen, 24
When Ms Allen hit the pop scene back in 2006, she quickly became famous not only for her voice, but also for her kooky look and feisty personality.
Within nine months of having her first No1 she had launched a funky range of clothing at New Look.
And her no-messin' quips helped land her own chat show with BBC3 - Lily Allen And Friends - before she went on to be a model and muse for Chanel.
After the huge success of her debut album, Alright, Still, last year she released the follow-up, It's Not Me, It's You before announcing a temporary retirement from music as she explores other avenues.
First up is a vintage clothes store called Lucy In Disguise, which she'll run with her sister, Sarah. It's due to launch this summer. "I'm in the office every day, sourcing clothes and getting really excited about my new venture," she says.
But our Lily isn't planning to stop there. Next up? Plans to run her own record label. That girl knows no bounds!
Extra earnings: She's made a cool £1million from her chat show, clothing range and modelling.
Miley Cyrus, 17
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| inset: Miley's movie moment |
The Disney Diva is one market-savvy young lady. The daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley was desperate for fame from an early age. And now she has it. And then some.
At the age of 14, Miley was told she had clinched the lead role in a new TV series, Hannah Montana, which has proved to be an unstoppable money-making juggernaut. It's catapulted Miley to superstar status and made her a multimillionairess.
But this young lady's not ready to rest on her laurels. Not only does she have a pop career, her first autobiography is already on the shelves. And Miley has just appeared in her first romantic role in movie The Last Song. Oh, did we mention she has her own clothing range, too?
Extra earnings: Miley earned £15million last year alone - of that £3million came from her album and tour.
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