By Russell Leadbetter
MILLIONS of viewers of the BBC singing contest, The Voice, will be surprised to learn that Stevie McCrorie, red-hot favourite for tonight's final is "quite shy" off stage.
The 30-year-old Fife firefighter has betrayed few signs of nerves or shyness on his way to the final, with a series of attention-grabbing performances on live television.
McCrorie impressed the four judges - Will.i.am, Sir Tom Jones, Ricky Wilson and Rita Ora - on the show's first Blind Audition and was the only finalist who persuaded all four to turn their chairs around to face him.
McCrorie was particularly pleased when Jones - "an absolute hero of mine" - turned around.
He later opted to join Wilson's team, and tonight he aims to beat Lucy O'Byrne, Sasha Simone and Emmanuel Nwamadi to the 2015 title. The winner's debut single will be released afterwards.
He will relax for the final by watching videos of his young daughter, saying: "Watching videos of Bibi on my phone will help me relax. I've got loads of videos of her right through from when she was a baby to now."
He added: "I've had a taste for this now, and it's where my heart lies."
A few days ago he said he didn't fear any of his rivals, though his toughest competition came from Nwamadi: "I'm just hoping I can do everything I can and people pick up the phone and get me to win it."
His father, Michael, has said he was "absolutely thrilled and immensely proud" to see him do so well. He added: "It's surreal seeing him on TV. He's quite a shy person, but when he goes on stage he becomes someone else. It's a transformation."
His mother, Sandra, said of the final: "I'm a nervous wreck, but I'm so proud of him. "Before this, Stevie was really well-known in the [Falkirk] music scene, playing lots of gigs and singing with bands. But it's not been easy for him, and he has never quite got there - until now."
McCrorie's appearance in the final has sparked considerable interest in Scotland, with campaigns being launched to get as many viewers to vote for him as possible.
Even Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister, has got in on the act, joking that people he had doorstepped in Fife on the general election campaign had told him they were only interested in voting for the singer.
The fireman is the 4/6 favuorite with bookmakers to win the even with one saying that more than 50 per cent of bets taken have been for McCrorie.
McCrorie, from Alva, Clackmannanshire, has admitted that he did not have the courage to apply for The Voice, but that his colleagues at Fife fire HQ applied for him. "The guys at HQ thought I had something so applied for me. I never had the courage or self-belief to do it myself, but I'm now very thankful that they did."
As a part-time singer he has played several high-profile dates, including T in the Park, The Wickerman Festival and the BBC Introducing stage. He has supported the Canadian rock group, Barenaked Ladies, at the O2 Academy in Glasgow, in front of 2,000 people.
McCrorie has more than 21,000 followers on Twitter, and his recent tweets have reflected his new-found fame and fortune, including meeting Game of Thrones star Thomas Brodie Sangster on Good Morning Britain.
On his Instagram account on Thursday he wrote excitedly: "Final is fast approaching!! But had an idea for a song inspired from the support from you all!! Probably better get learning the songs for Saturday though #thevoiceuk @bbcthevoice love you all, Stevie xx"
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