By RICHARD ZACHARIAH

IT is no coincidence that Nikki Webster’s dog is called Star. To be a star is her reason for living and her life is dedicated to the stellar heights of show business.

“I love being on stage; I just want to make people happy,” she said.

She is prepared to work for it and, in fact, has spent more than half her life becoming the overnight sensation we now know.

The 13-year-old star of the Olympic opening ceremony began as a professional at age five, appearing in a TV commercial for biscuits.

Now, the McDonald Performing Arts College student devotes about 30 hours a week to a mixture of study, singing, dancing and acting.

While Nikki stole our hearts on Friday night and while we feared for her flying 30m above us, she was not the least bit nervous.

But as she sat in the back garden of her parents’ Croydon home yesterday, with an NBC crew setting up for yet another interview, there was just a hint of tiredness on her face – not surprising after only 11/2 hours’ sleep.

Her face lights up, though, at the thought of featuring in a movie, or making a CD.

“All I have ever wanted to do was to dance and sing, and now the only thing I really want to do is cut a CD and make a movie,” she said.

They may be within reach after Friday night and Nikki’s agent, Lisa Hamilton, hints that a recording contract could be just around the corner.

Her parents, Mark and Tina, are a little more conservative and put that in the category of dreams. “I want what she wants,” her father says simply.

Source: The Sunday Telegraph