A qualified nurse from Blackheath has said she did not expect to be crowned as the champion of ITV’s The Voice 2022.

Anthonia Edwards “spontaneously” applied for The Voice in February 2021 after graduating as a qualified nurse.

The 25-year-old first discovered her talent as a singer at the age of six while singing at church with her mum and dad.

Anthonia has loved music ever since as she saw it as a “form of expressing” herself. 

Last night, she was crowned the champion of the eleventh series of the entertainment show and has now secured a recording contract with EMI.

Anthonia said: “Winning the Voice was unexpected given that I'm a registered nurse, but it allowed me to explore a different side of myself. 

“It was really cool and I’m super grateful for the opportunity.”
Anthonia developed her talent while going on music shows with her mum and dad who were also musicians. 

Her parents thought it was “out of character” for Anthonia to apply for a national TV show as she was a “little” shy while growing up. 

Antonia said singing has always been an “integral” part of her lifestyle which she wanted to explore by going on the Voice. 

She explained: “Of course, I love being a nurse, but I wanted to do something where I could express myself. 

“I wasn't expecting much after applying as I thought maybe one judge would turn their chair during the auditions. 

“It was incredible while I progressed as I took every moment one step at a time.

“It was amazing to see Sir Tom Jones turn his chair for me. It was just so surreal to see that moment. 

“Then I believe Anne Marie, Will.i.am and Ollie Murs also turned their chairs. 

“But at that moment I was just thinking to myself to finish the song and not mess it up.”

After impressing the coaches, Anthonia selected Sir Tom Jones to coach her through the rest of the competition.

She performed U2’s Pride song during the callbacks and sang her rendition of Kesha’s Praying at the semi-finals. 

Anthonia joined fellow finalists Naomi Johnson, Mark Howard, and David Adeogun to compete for the crown in the final. 

The final four also got the opportunity to duet with their coaches.

Anthonia said: “I just looked at the crowd during the finals and said, ‘this is my moment’ and gave it my all. 

“I always knew that I didn’t expect to come this far but to be on the stage was truly an amazing feeling.”

Anthonia said it was “amazing” to have Sir Tom Jones as a mentor who taught her the singing “fundamentals” during her time on the show. 

She explained: “He’s just such a legend, and his team Mark and Donna also helped me a lot. 

“They always checked up on me and ensured that I was ok throughout the process.”

Anthonia said it was “really fun” to cover Justin Bieber’s song called, Anyone, in the final as she made the song more suitable for herself. 

She added: “I loved working on the arrangements and making it feel like it's my version of the song.

“I wanted to create something that's based on Justin, but it's my own version as well, and I'm just excited for what's ahead music-wise.”

Anthonia urges young up-and-coming singers to “never give up” but they need to make sure to “work hard” in achieving any kind of success. 

She explained: "If you want to ever explore in life whether if it’s singing or acting you should just do it.

“Going on the Voice was more than winning it. The process taught me a lot about myself and I explored a different side of myself. 

“It is a heightened situation because it's national TV and there's a lot of eyes on you. 

“But I think if you just like go with a moment it is definitely worth it.”