Any doubts about Nikki Webster’s maturity were dispelled last night at the gay and lesbian Sleaze Ball.

Dressed as a glamorous wind-up doll, Webster, now 20, was to emerge from a carriage to sing a remix of her debut single Strawberry Kisses as scantily-clad dancers gyrated around her. She said the sultry performance was a far cry from the 13-year-old Hero Girl who flew eight storeys high and sang Under Southern Skies in front of a live audience of 110,000 and a worldwide television audience of 3.7 billion at the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Sleaze Ball was also good preparation for her upcoming role as the militant lesbian Maureen in the musical Rent.

“I’m lucky to have a great gay following and it will certainly be fun,” she said.

The West Australian production of Rent will involve an element of nudity, she said, “but just my ass.”

Webster is no stranger to taking her clothes off after celebrating her 18th birthday by posing for FHM. “It was a great way, maybe not the right way, for people to see me developing and growing up four, five, six years on from the Olympics,” she said.

Webster said her love life was “pretty dull at the moment”. “Turning 20 is good landmark to put things in perspective and the boys will come I’m sure,” she said.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald