FORMER Hollyoaks actress Carley Stenson is to sing at a country and western weekend festival in June.

Carley, 33, from Billinge, said she is "extremely" excited about performing at Buckle and Boots in Stockport - her largest scale gig to date.

Best known for playing Steph Cunningham in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, Carley is also an accomplished singer with West End theatre work including Princess Fiona in Shrek The Musical, Elle Woods in Legally Blonde The Musical and The Lady of The Lake in Spamalot.

Carley said: "I will do a few covers of my favourite country songs including ones by Little Big Town and Miranda Lambert."

She added: "I am extremely excited about this as I've never done Buckle and Boots before or a country gig at this scale.

"I have performed with Gary Quinn and some talented artists at 'In the Round' in Manchester before, which were more intimate gigs. You can't beat the energy and feel from performing songs like these with this calibre of artists in this atmosphere."

Saints supporter Carley says she has always been influenced by country music.

"I've always loved the stories country music tells," she said. "When I look back at my first ventures into performing they were always country songs or heavily influenced by country.

"I won my first singing competition with a Leanne Rhymes song. My first albums were Dolly Parton and Bob Dylan. And I'm obsessed with the TV series Nashville and its soundtrack right now. Country just has a very special place in my heart."

Buckle and Boots takes place at Whitebottom Farm, Etherow Country Park, Compstall in Stockport from June 24 to 26.

Tickets, costing £20 or £25 for a day or £50 for the weekend, are available from buckleandboots.co.uk.