A SHY teenager with a stammer is forging quite a name for himself in Thurrock...and wowed the audience at a talent show on Saturday night.

Louis Sorrell-Wilde, 17, from Corringham, won the Starmaker talent contest at the Thameside Theatre meaning he will now perform at the mayor’s Civic Dinner in May.

The 17-year-old suffers with fibromyalgia - a long-term condition which causes widespread pain and extreme tiredness - and a debilitating stammer, but lights up the room when singing on stage - just like Gareth Gates, Pop Idol runner-up and star performer at this year’s T-Fest, is able to.

Through his own YouTube channel and by performing at various events across the community, Louis, who lives on Limeslade Close, is establishing himself as a Thurrock favourite.

The teenager takes a lot of inspiration from the Rat Pack and is often likened to Michael Buble.

Indeed, when hearing him sing for the first time, the comparisons with Buble are justified: Louis has a soft voice but with a remarkable ability to hold notes and give songs an air of delicacy.

He starred at the big switch on of the Corringham Christmas lights and is due to perform at the Corringham Christmas Festival on Thursday night.

Louis’ mum, Julie Sorrell-Wilde told the Gazette: “Louis suffers from fibromyaligia. It stops him from doing a lot of things and he suffers quite a lot of pain. But when he sings, that’s it - nothing else in the world matters.”

And with Christmas approaching, Louis is giving up his time to perform for the elderly at Collins House and Cedar House, where he’ll be performing a superb repertoire of festive songs.

The talented singer normally sings from a diverse catalogue of songs, spanning the genres, that include hits by Ed Sheeran, Michael Buble, Gotye and Bruno Mars.

You can hear Louis sing on YouTube, just search Louis Sorrell-Wilde. Or, catch his performance at the Corringham Christmas Festival tomorrow (Thursday) night.