Gordon Hendricks - AKA Elvis - remembers clearly the night his life changes. "I was standing in the TV studio, for the final of Stars In Their Eyes. Then they announced the winner. It was me. Everything went crazy."

Since then, he's played Las Vegas, stayed at the Graceland home a women who used to bake Elvis' pies. Hobnobbed with Graham Norton, Anne Robinson and Denise Van Outen and been asked for his autograph at Tesco.

Things weren't always so exciting. Gordon had 11 sisters and no brother. While still a child, his family moved from their native Kent to Stoke-On-Trent so that his father could work in the mines. His sisters played Elvis records morning, noon and night. "I started singing Elvis from as early as I can remember," he says. "I used to stand in the road at the age of four with a plank of wood, pretending it was a guitar, serenading my neighbours."

He married early, opened a barbershop and worked in that profession for 15 years. But in 2004, he decided to persue his dream and started singing Elvis songs in local bars. "It'd take a few beers to get me going,” he says.

He was eliminated from the Stars In Their Eyes by a studio audience but won a wildcard in a public vote. Gordon says: "I'd lost once, so I didn't expect anything. Winning was beyond by wildest dreams."

He jacked in his job as a barber and became a full-time Elvis impersonator. He played to fans from Las Vegas and performed to 7,000 people at an Elvis convention in Alabama. He travelled to Graceland, to pay homage to his hero, and was invited to stay at the home of a local woman for a few nights. Gordon says: "She was 72 and had used to bake a pie for Elvis each Saturday morning." She didn't bake him a pie, however.

Gordon has no plans to slow down. "I'm in my late 30's now," he says. "So I want to keep going. But I think there's nothing sadder than a 50-year-old bloke in a white jump suit. I'll have moved on by then."

Best moment: Winning Stars In Their Eyes
Funniest Moment: Coming down to breakfast while filming The World's Best Elvis, with Vernon Kaye. There were 20 blokes in make-up and wigs, all wearing white jump suits, eating Cornflakes.

Weirdest moment: Playing to 5,000 fans at Bolton Arena with Elvis' original drummer, D J Fontana, and his 1970s backing singers, The Sweet Inspirations, supporting me. D J Fontana was in his seventies, but he still had it

Star Moments

"Anne Robinson frightened the life out of me when I appeared on Celebrity Weakest Link. She was as scary off-camera as she is on-screen"

"Graham Norton was a lovely chap. I met him for his TV New Year's Eve Party. I got chatting to Barbara Windsor, Denise Van Outen and Westlife. Westlife were very encouraging."

"The Worlds Greatest Elvis, filming it left me exhausted but, Vernon Kaye was a good chap".

Andy Richardson, T247

*** ***

Since Gordon’s win what has changed over the last couple of years?

Well I have gone on to achieve a childhood ambition of working with Elvis’ original drummer D J Fontana, whose style defined so much of Elvis’ early material and the incredible Sweet Inspirations, whose backing vocals have graced so much of Elvis’ work over the years.

This was the largest Elvis Presley Tribute show held in the UK at Bolton Arena August 08,

“TRULY A DREAM COME TRUE”.

I have had three prime time BBC TV appearances, Celebrity Weakest Link, The Worlds Greatest ELVIS, and Graham Norton’s New Years Eve, The Big Finish, working along side of Westlife. I was chosen to unveil a plaque to Elvis at Prestwick Airport, the only place Elvis ever visited in the UK.

I met Mr Ian Ghee, who took those iconic photographs of Elvis in his army uniform, a true gent, all the staff and management at Prestw

ick, a joy to work with.

Also and most importantly, playing to so many genuine Elvis fans at my shows, who pay me some flattering comments, but we are only trying to keep Elvis’ memory and music alive.

I am not trying to be Elvis, in fact “I KNOW I AM NOT ELVIS “ I am just doing the best I can.

We are now playing some of the larger theatres around the UK, but I still love some of the smaller venues, some are like playing in your front room, very intimate.

So all in all, the last couple of years have been a bit of a whirl, but it is thanks to all of you, who take the time to come to my shows that we have achieved so much, “with a bit of hard work by myself, friends and family”

"...giving a storming rendition of all of Presley’s much loved and best known hits …

delivered with a near perfect imitation…..

In short he has star quality in his own right."

The Sentinel 2007

**** ****

Gordon Hendricks is the undisputed No 1 Elvis Tribute.

Gordon Hendricks. His talent came to national attention in 2005 when he amazed millions of television viewers with his vocal virtuosity and good looks as he took the title in the Grand Final of Granada TV’s ‘Stars in their Eyes’

Gordon Hendricks is not the King in new clothes; he offers a 21st Century rendition of the phenomenon which was Elvis Presley…………. Mike Adams 2005. BBC Broadcaster & Writer