Katherine Crowe 'amazed' at support for song

A singer with terminal breast cancer bidding for the Christmas number one has said she is "amazed" at the support she has received.

Katherine Crowe, from the Isle of Man, is at 63 in the UK singles chart with her version of the Charlie Chaplin song Smile.

She said: "I'm feeling crazily inspired and the support has been amazing."

Mrs Crowe recorded her song with the London Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra at the Abbey Road Studios in London.

The 37-year-old, who was diagnosed with cancer six years ago, has stopped all conventional drug treatments because her body reacts with anaphylactic shock.

The mother-of-two from Onchan has been making music for more than 25 years and has performed in the Isle of Man and throughout the UK.

She had always dreamed of recording at the famous studios and her ambition became reality with help from friends and a number of private donations earlier this month.

She said: "It is just crazy. The phone hasn't stopped ringing and I have being doing non-stop interviews.

"The Isle of Man community has really gathered around to help and to see people like Eddie Izzard and Gary Barlow tweeting about it is very special."

The song was directed by Julian Kershaw who has worked on soundtracks for films including Harry Potter and Notting Hill.

"We are still targeting the Christmas number one and it feels like the magic we made making the record is spreading and it is a great feeling," said Ms Crowe.

The song has also topped the iTunes singer/songwriter chart ahead of Ed Sheeran and Adele.

Proceeds will go to help research into the development of new cancer treatments and help her family.

X Factor winner James Arthur topped this week's UK single's chart with his debut single.