For Leanne Moore, the past six months have been a roller coaster ride and following on from her success in You're a Star, the Mary I graduate is now about to take her first major foray into acting as she stars as Sleeping Beauty.

Opening in the Gaiety next month as a prelude to a planned tour of the West End, the musical is a modern-day take on the traditional fairytale.

Leanne will play two different characters - her "real-life" character, Rosie, is a librarian who finds the story of Sleeping Beauty, which also comes to life.

Having been flown to London to audition for the role in Abbey Road Studios, Leanne made a huge impression on director John Stephenson, lyricist and composer Trisha Ward, and choreographer Arlene Phillips, of Strictly Come Dancing fame, who snapped her up for the role.

For Leanne, who loves musicals, the opportunity is a dream come true.

She is to star opposite former Coronation Street star Bruno Langley, who played Todd Grimshaw in the soap opera.

But Leanne admits that she has no Prince Charming in real life.

This is, however, a small detail for the bubbly 23-year-old, who is still on a high following her announcement as You’re a Star winner last month.

"I’m having a ball, the time of my life. I can’t believe it really, I’m still just taking it all in,” Leanne says.

Despite her new-found success, the Corbally native hasn’t forgotten her roots and she spends as much time as possible at home with her family.

Leanne Moore

"I couldn’t be away from Limerick for longer than a week at a time. I have to be at home - I’m very much a home bird”.

She says that she has had "the greatest reaction” from her fellow Limerick folk who have welcomed her with open arms: "I think the best day of my whole life was the St Patrick’s Day parade, coming home to Limerick”.

And although she has also had some negative reaction, Leanne is philosophical about those who are critical of her success.

"That’s in every walk of life, in everything you do there’s always going to be people who don’t like what you do and that’s fine, that’s fair enough,” she says