A YOUNG mother from County Durham has told how she became a national TV and billboard star after filling in an online survey.

Sharna Fittes, 24, can currently be spotted on television and cinema screens across the country in an advert for global discount supermarket chain Lidl.

The Newton Aycliffe mum-of-one bagged the job while trying to earn a bit of extra money to go towards her wedding this year.

Having filled in a number of surveys online she ended up with a lot more than she bargained for.

"It was rather random," said Miss Fittes. "At the beginning of one survey it said would I be interested in doing some filming and I thought 'yeah why not?'.

"I then got a phone call off a lady asking to do a Skype interview, which turned out to be an audition, and they rang me back and told me they were in love with me."

Following the audition in April, Miss Fittes was offered two nights away in Scotland to film the advert.

She and her fiancé Luke Taylor cancelled plans to go to a gig in Newcastle in May and left their two-year-old daughter Rose with her grandmother before being whisked up north in a chauffeur-driven car.

"I got treated like a celebrity and had a runner who did anything for me," she added.

With only the knowledge that she would feature in a Lidl advert about beef, Miss Fittes was soon in front of the camera with a Perthshire farmer - tasked with asking unscripted questions about the meat that he supplies to the store.

In it she follows him on a typical day on the farm and explains how she has had her "eyes opened" by the experience, having previously been sceptical about the provenance of the German chain's meat products.

"It was a bit surreal and the response from family and friends has been overwhelming. People I've not spoken to in years have said they have seen me in the cinema or on the telly.

"I love it and the best thing about it is I can show Rose how her mum was on the telly when she's older."

Since the advert first aired Miss Fittes has appeared in brochures and billboards everywhere from Spennymoor and Bishop Auckland, to Huddersfield and Warrington.

Thanks to her efforts to make some extra cash ahead of tying the knot in September, she has also reaped the rewards financially for her stardom - but won't disclose the exact fee.

She added: "The vouchers (gained from filling out surveys) were to pay for the flower girl dresses but this has spiralled."