And Laurence Robinson, from Dunstable, Beds, has now sung alongside Pop Idol's Darius at Warrington Rugby club!

When I said I was going to go full time into singing I did get the odd laugh from certain people and now the fun of it is proving them wrong and realising my dream

Former salesman Laurence Robinson

Just a year ago he was made redundant as a financial services salesman from a company in High Wycombe, Bucks selling pensions, peps, Tessas and ISAs

But after losing his job, opera loving Laurence, 38, a married father of two decided that it was now or never.

He was already taking singing lessons to develop his tenor voice: "Being made redundant enabled me to take a step back and look at where I was going.

"I knew I wanted to sing professionally and I didn't want to go back to selling which is something I'd been doing all my working life. It was like someone upstairs was saying 'Come on get out there and go for it'.

"I had the feeling it was the right time."

Being a salesman Laurence was used to cold calling and began ringing people up and asking if he could sing at their sports events.

Sunday's appearance in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium with millions watching on TV was his biggest gig to date. He sang the national Anthem an Nessum Dorma by his hero Pavarotti.

Laurence loves his new career.

Laurence will also sing with new sensation, Pop Idol winner Will Young at the Champions League Final in Scotland.

And in October he will appear alongside Kyle Minogue at the Rugby Super League Cup final at Old Trafford.

He said "I suppose you could say opera is my obsession. I think it comes from my parents, they always loved good quality music in the house and I just picked up on it."

He had his first singing lesson five years ago: "As soon as the woman teacher heard my voice I saw the look on her
face and she said 'I can tell this is an untrained voice but I strongly urge you to take this up properly and train and study'."

Laurence did just that and knew last year on finding himself redundant that the time was right.

Wife Hazel and children James, 11, and Vanessa, nine, have backed him all the way.

He said "When I said I was going to go full time into singing I did get the odd laugh from certain people and now the fun of it is proving them wrong and realising my dream."