Beverley Knight to play Grizabella in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats

She most recently took to the stage in the London production of Memphis: The Musical, and now Beverley Knight is cementing herself as a West End star as she joins the cast of Andrew Lloyd's Webber's Cats.

The 42 year old has been cast as Grizabella, the outcast glamour cat who wants nothing more than to be accepted again by the cats' society, having left the group when she was younger to experience the world on her own.

Her stint as the character will begin on 23 October and run for 10 weeks at the London Palladium.

Knight had long been rumoured to be playing Grizabell, but confirmation of the news came from Daily Mail columnist Baz Bamigboye, who posted the first image of her in full costume on his Twitter account.

Former The X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger starred in the role when it reopened in 2014, with Kerry Ellis, best-known for playing Elphaba in Wicked, succeeding her in February 2015.

The Shoulda Woulda Coulda singer began her theatre career in late 2013 when she played Rachel Marron in the stage adaptation of The Bodyguard.

A few months later she was confirmed to be taking on the lead role of Felicia in Memphis, a musical depicting the growth of R'n'B music in the deep south of the US.

Knight released seven studio and two compilation albums between 1995 and 2011, winning 10 Mobo Awards and three Brits.