Bella Brown: The story of a Yorkshire sensation and her rise to the top - Christa Ackroyd

And so in the immortal words of Greta Garbo I just wanted to be alone.

I have a zillion friends I could have called for my tea time treat, sitting with a salad and a glass of wine in the sunshine overlooking the fields outside on the lawn of my favourite village deli. But sometimes you just need silence.

No phones, no chat.. just to breathe. And soak it all in. And after a total of more than 20 hours speaking out loud in a professional capacity I was, as they say, sick of my own voice. Bet you never thought you would hear me say that, did you!?

If you have never tried dining alone I can highly recommend it.

In fact for the first time in her life a friend took herself off to do exactly that last week and loved the perfect definition of ‘me’ time to catch up with her thoughts, so much so she is going to schedule it into her busy calendar at least twice a month.

I for one am used to dining alone. A lifetime of being on the road at the drop of a hat and crazy late night shifts means I think nothing of it, though judging by the stares from some people there are still those who believe it must be a lonely experience. Ah poor thing. By herself. Billy no mates. It isn’t.

What is more is if you are dining alone people feel obliged to talk to you which they would never dream of doing if say you were part of a couple or a group of friends.

And that is exactly what happened this week, with lovely thought provoking consequences.

One of the two ladies seated on the next table was celebrating her birthday. And as is my want, I couldn’t help but overhear her plans to visit London.

It is one of those strange gifts that years of reading the news whilst a dozen voices shout in your ear leaves you with, meaning you can listen to two conversations at once, annoying for some, unbelievable for others, though the secret is not to let your companion know you are tuning in elsewhere.

But on this occasion I couldn’t resist throwing my two ‘penneth in to tell them of a trip I had planned to ‘the smoke’ to see Evita before this brand new production finishes in a couple of weeks.

And to go up and back, alone, simply because you can’t get tickets for more than one, in a day.

I also have chosen deliberately a day when the understudy plays the lead because I love the story of how the lead, international movie star Rachel Ziegler took sick in the first act forcing her understudy to whip on the blond wig and step in, including the chance to perform the immortal Don’t Cry For Me Argentina from the balcony of the London Palladium to the crowds who gather outside every night for that very moment.

And if this isn’t the stuff of Hollywood musicals, (think 42 Street) I don’t know what is.

And then out of the blue one of the ladies announced ‘Ah yes she is the daughter of a friend of mine’. She is from Bingley. And so today I write her story in celebration of dreams coming true, of hard work, self belief, parental support and great teachers along the way.

And I do so as an antidote to all the whingers and whiners that say our young people have it easy, exams were harder, life was harder and they don’t deserve all the praise in the world and a helping hand to boot.

Bella Brown was made in Yorkshire. And as such she was ready for her big moment.

Bella started performing aged four when she joined a dance studio in Clayton, Bradford. She then moved to Bingley Dance studio and Dylan’s Dance Academy where, her mum says, Mags the owner inspired her to continue.

She also found fabulous music teachers in Bingley and Silsden who literally added another string to her bow by teaching her the violin and cello before moving to CAPA the creative and performing arts college in Wakefield then Arts Ed in London.

Overnight sensation? No she worked hard for it, with a host of brilliant teachers along the way. And she is just 23 years old.

Bella is destined for great things. But so it can be for thousands of others if we just give them the credit they deserve and stop telling them they have it easy.

This week the A level results were out. Even before they were published educational experts were whining they were too easy as the number of top grades soared to pre pandemic levels.

Well good, because young people had it pretty rough during the Covid years and if they have caught up now it is entirely down to their guts and gumption.

The Covid years tore away at their social skills and their confidence. If they have smashed it this year it is all credit to them.

Most have done so by themselves, without help, without counselling, but through sheer determination to come through the years of interrupted learning and isolation and prove they can and will achieve.

Then there was the suggestion that certain universities are being encouraged to offer places to students with lower grades for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds in the name of diversity.

Good again. And shame on those who sneer that it is a sign of dumbing down. No it’s a sign or raising up.

There are certain children who don’t perform well in exams. There are those who at the time of taking them were facing difficulties or traumas.

There are others who simply dare not dream that they will fit it, rise up and achieve all that university has to offer because they are the first in their family or peer group.

There are also the late developers who flunked, according to their detractors, their exams but then life just clicks with maturity and experience.

And there are others who quite rightly are terrified of the debt they will leave with. But good on them and good on the government.

If they have the guts to try, the will to come out of their comfort zone and win, this country and yes the universities will be better because of it.

Bella Brown dreamed of a career on the stage. And she has achieved it. Big time.

But not without the belief of teachers and family that she could. In Yorkshire there are thousands of young people who dare not follow their dreams, as if somehow they are for someone else but not for them. It is not up to us or anyone else to crush them.

But to tell them they can, show them they are worth it and support them every step of the way.

Bella Brown is a star. It is time to let others shine too. Even if they have never believed they can.