A singer says it’s the ‘best feeling in the world’ after she made it through to the next stage of a TV talent show.

Millions of viewers watched on Saturday night as Weymouth’s Lauren Bannon-Hayes was selected by judge Olly Murs to go through to the knockout stage on ITV’s The Voice.

Lauren, 27, was chosen after a sing-off battle with contestant Debbie Aramide.

During the battle rounds, judges Olly Murs, Sir Tom Jones, Jennifer Hudson and will.i.am had to mentor their acts and pair them up.

The pairs perform the same song together, with their mentor choosing who they want to save.

Olly set Lauren and Debbie the task of singing Hannah Grace’s version of ‘Praise You’.

Lauren said: “I love that version of the song, and it’s one my wife has said I should cover.

“When Olly told us, I knew it would be a good fit.”

Preparations for the performance were disrupted by Debbie’s sore throat, which meant she was unable to sing.

This meant that neither singer was able to prepare for their sing-off.

Lauren said: “It was a really tough week as we had to postpone the sing-off episode to a day later.

“This meant that when we were performing, we knew there were no spaces left (for judges to steal other acts) which led to extra pressure.

“Because of Debbie’s sore throat we had to change which bits of the song we sang, including bringing her harmonies down.

“It was very stressful as we had no time to run through the performance.

“It was not an ideal situation and I would have preferred to face Debbie when she was at full strength.”

Lauren’s performance was praised by judges, including Jennifer Hudson who said it was “amazing”. Olly Murs said he regretted putting the two together so he didn’t have to choose between two very strong singers.

On being put together, Lauren said: “When Olly announced we were being put together, I thought to myself, are you sure?

“Debbie was a really strong contender, and it’s unfortunate she wasn’t picked.”

Olly’s final decision saw Lauren picked as one his final five.

Lauren said: “It’s absolutely incredible, amazing, the best feeling in the world.”

She goes through to the knockout stages, the penultimate stage before the live finals.

Lauren said: “I’ve been rehearsing all week to go head to head with other contestants.

“Everyone has upped their game, and I can’t wait to get out there.

“It’s the first opportunity to get involved and have a say in the song and that’s really exciting.”

She added: “It’s a bit terrifying, but whatever happens, happens.”

To see how Lauren gets on, watch The Voice on Saturday, March 17 at 8.30pm on ITV1.