It was a night to remember in more ways than one for a Colchester woman who sang a duet at Wembley with a world-famous pop star - and was then proposed to the same evening!

Colchester dry cleaning worker Alison Russell joined Bryan Adams on-stage at Wembley Arena in front of a capacity crowd last night - then her boyfriend Mark Brown proposed soon afterwards.

Alison Russell and Mark Brown outside Togs

The couple bought tickets to the concert six months ago and went with friends Tim and Tina Brown, but they were sitting right at the back until a friendly security guard let them fill some spare seats nearer the front.

So when the Canadian rocker spotted 31-year-old Alison, of Beech Grove, Little Oakley after he asked for someone to come up on stage, they sang Baby When You're Gone together.

Miss Russell, a presser at Mark's dry-cleaning company Togs, based in Peartree Road, Stanway, said: "It was an amazing feeling. Everybody was jumping and screaming and I was shown on one of those big screens.

"Bryan Adams gave me the words and half-way through he ripped the words out of my hand."

When she sat down Mark proposed, and they later joined 50 VIPs at the after-show party backstage.

He said: "We told Bryan we are getting married and he gave us his address and said 'make sure you send me an invitation'."

Published Monday, March 11, 2002