Michelle McManus is a presenter, singer, actress, former Pop Idol winner and weekly columnist for the Evening Times. She is also one of the most popular hosts in Scotland.

It was back in 2009 when Michelle was announced as the new co-host for STV's daily magazine show "The Hour". Within 4 months of Michelle's appointment the shows ratings had tripled and averaged a staggering 1.2million viewers per week. During her two years on the show Michelle interviewed some world-class guests such as Chrissie Hynde, John Cleese, Brian May, Simon Callow and Rod Stewart, not to mention top names in the political world such as Alastair Campbell, Cherie Blair, Alex Salmond and the Prime Minister David Cameron.

Michelle co-hosted the hugely successful STV Appeal Show with Lorraine Kelly. She was also asked to co-write and perform the official STV Appeal Charity Single with rising stars Manran.

Her programme for BBC Alba "Is Mise Michelle McManus" was broadcast on Christmas Day and received unanimous praise.

She took the record industry by storm when, against the odds, she won Pop Idol on the 20th December 2003 with in excess of 6.5 million votes. Her first single, 'All This Time', was number 1 for three weeks and was the second biggest selling British single of 2004 (Band Aid being number 1). Michelle was the first Scottish female to debut at number 1 and 'All This Time' was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in 2004. Her album 'The Meaning of Love' released in February 2004 was also hugely successful.

In September 2010 Michelle was invited to sing for Pope Benedict XVI at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, during the UK Papal Visit, in front of a live audience of 70,000 people and an estimated televised global audience of 1 billion.

Not bad for a Glaswegian lass who, before entering Pop Idol, Michelle was an Events Manager for Marriott Hotels in Glasgow. She'd always loved singing and entertaining and had dreamt of growing up to becoming a professional singer and performer, but like most young people put the dream on hold to earn a living. Up until that fateful day when she attended the Pop Idol auditions, her performing experience was limited to school plays, a year attending the Youth Works Drama Group at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (1993-94) and performing in a variety show with Scottish comedian and actor Andy Cameron at the Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow in 1997.

By the end of 2004, at only five foot two inches, Michelle weighed a huge twenty three stone. She decided enough was enough, and agreed to take part in the television programme 'You Are What You Eat'. The first documentary was broadcast in 2005 and the show revisited Michelle in December 2005 when she was eight stone lighter. The first programme was the highest rated 'You Are What You Eat' episode ever with 4.6 million viewers (a 23% audience share) and the follow up programme (broadcast just before Christmas in 2005) achieved a similar audience. To coincide with the broadcast Michelle published her best selling diary "Michelle's Diary" and in 2006 made her first DVD, Michelle McManus - The Life Plan".

She has hosted her own Saturday night radio show on the top rated independent station in Scotland - Radio Clyde (2006) and had her own series - 'Let's Do The Show Right Here' on BBC Radio Scotland (2007 & 2008).

Michelle is proud to be an ambassador for the People's Postcode Lottery.

She received rave reviews for her appearance in the "Vagina Monologues" at the Millennium Theatre in Derry and appeared in the same piece for a sold out week in Edinburgh. Other theatre success includes an Edinburgh Festival run of 'Discotivity', a musical version of the biblical nativity story, in which she played an all-singing, all-dancing Virgin Mary! She was delighted to be invited to make a guest appearance in 'Still Game' (BBC2) and toured the Far East in 2007 in 'Little Voice', during which time she sang for the then President of Singapore Sellapan Ramanathan.

Michelle when not doing pantomime performs in her own Winter Wonderland show during December and still regularly tours throught the year. Details are usually posted on Michelle's Facebook page along with information about future club dates.

Michelle is currently learning Gaelic.