LeAnn Rimes surprises Yorkshire mum who survived brain tumour with emotional duet of 'How Do I Live'

29 January 2024, 15:02

Audience members were brought to tears by the surprise appearance on Michael McIntyre's Big Show.

A Yorkshire mum who survived a brain tumour and learned to speak again, was surprised on stage by singing sensation, LeAnn Rimes, on Saturday night (January 27).

• LeAnn Rimes interview: Country legend reflects on first record deal aged 11 - "I thought it was normal"

Viewers were left teary-eyed after singing-loving Sarah, who thought she was going to perform at a Country Western bar, ended up on stage on Michael McIntyre's Big Show duetting with LeAnn Rimes.

The mum-of-two was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2012 and had to undergo emergency surgery.

Despite her recovery, she has grappled with ongoing seizures and faced the challenging task of relearning how to speak.

The extraordinary moment when Sarah was surprised by LeAnn Rimes, 41, prompted viewers of the BBC show to rush to social media to praise the performance.

One said: "Cannot lie, that duet with Sarah and @leannrimes brought a tear to my eye... some performance!"

Another gushed: "Anybody else watching #MichaelMcIntyresBigShow and blubbing uncontrollably at the Unexpected Star?"

A third wrote: "Oh Michael @MMBigShow #Michaelmcintyresbigshow What a wonderful 'star of the show, show' with beautiful Sarah and @leannrimes. I'm still balling with emotion."

Michael McIntyre's Unexpected star,Sarah's amazing duet with LeAnn Rimes, is magical.

And a fourth posted: "Sarah was absolutely sensational! Best star of the show, show yet. And love Leanne Rimes! That should be released as a single with them both singing."

Leann Rimes herself took to Instagram to reveal how the surprise came about: "Surprise!!! after hearing Sarah's story i started plotting with the @bbc and @michaelmcintyresbigshow to create a special moment that she would never forget.

"i'm not sure who cried more… if you missed it, you can watch our duet on @bbciplayer."

Last year, LeAnn Rimes spoke to Smooth Country's Eamonn Kelly, where she discussed the origins of her 1997 hit, 'How Do I Live.'

She said the song was first turned down by producers of the Con Air film before Trisha Yearwood's version was selected instead. However, LeAnn's version would go on to become a bigger success around the world.

LeAnn Rimes interview: 'How Do I Live' got turned down by Hollywood!

LeAnn said: "So Diane Warren, who wrote that song, I was actually in a restaurant, and Diane came up to me and said, 'I have the song'. I ended up back up at her studio that night and recorded these three demos, and she was trying to pitch that song, or she had pitched it for Con Air.

"They turned it down, and then she had me record it that night and sent it to Jerry Bruckheimer with my voice on it. And then they were like, 'we want to use the song'.

"And then, of course, my version didn't end up in the film. No harm, no foul! It became huge. It was one of those things that just, it worked out the way it was supposed to."