Prison officer to The Voice star: ‘I felt like Hannah Montana

Hollie Peabody’s first day back working at a category B men’s prison has been “a big crash down to reality”.

For four months this year, Hollie swapped cells for singing as they took part in ITV’s The Voice.

The 22-year-old from Oxfordshire first caught the attention of Sir Tom Jones during the blind auditions with a cover of Selena Gomez’s Lose You To Love Me and made it all the way to the semi-finals.

“While I was there it all felt a little bit Hannah Montana,” Hollie tells BBC Newsbeat. “Because you’re living two very different lives at the same time.”

And like the popstar by night, schoolgirl by day Disney character immortalised by Miley Cyrus, Hollie really does think they’ve got the best of both worlds.

“I’ve gone from studios to walking on walkways and filling out applications – it’s very, very weird,” says Hollie, who uses gender-neutral pronouns.

“I walked past a prisoner the other day who shouted, ‘sing us a song’.”

Despite the show’s success, Hollie plans to stick at their prison service job.

“This is my career,” they say.

“It will be what I do forever, full stop. I have no intention of leaving – I love it here.”

Hollie first faced the red chairs during the blind auditions which were recorded in February, but almost didn’t make it.

“My ex actually signed me up without telling me,” they say.

“I got an email inviting me to audition which threw me a bit, because I had no intention of doing it.

“So I got thrown in the deep end.”

Hollie says they’ve never sung outside their bedroom, bar a few school shows, before taking the plunge on TV.

“It’s always just been a hobby rather than something I want to do in front of everyone else,” they say.

“But it’s nice to have affirmation that other people like it as well.”

Hollie was the last contestant to be picked by Sir Tom and, during the competition, he praised the sound and the “rare honesty” of Hollie’s voice.

Fellow judge LeAnn Rimes called their voice “tender”.

Hollie says it was actually their job in the prisons service that gave them the confidence to perform.

“When I started working here, I used to really struggle with anxiety,” they say.

“I still do but the support network that I’ve gained here has built my confidence to a point where I’m sort of running on the life motto of ‘what’s the worst that can happen?'”

Hollie says the days of singing in their bedroom are behind them and they’ve even booked some gigs.

“Normally, you do the little gigs and then you build up to the big things like going on television, whereas I’ve done the television and then booked the little gigs.

“I’ve sort of done it all in reverse.”

As they return to the prison wings, Hollie says they’re really proud of what they’ve achieved.

“It was never about wanting fame and fortune,” they say.

“It was, ‘Can I stand on a stage and perform in front of people?’

“I worked so hard on myself to get where I am that the fact it was able to culminate in doing something that big makes my heart happy.

“I’m so proud of myself.”