A TRIBUTE to the life and and work of Karen Carpenter comes to Wirral next month as part of a national tour.

We've Only Just Begun - A celebration of the Carpenters - will be staged at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton on April 10.

Karen and brother Richard formed the Carpenters in 1969. They had an unprecedented 17 consecutive billboard US top ten hits.

Their first UK hit was in 1970 with Close to you. Karen's life was tragically cut short by a wasting disease at the age of just 32.

Stepping into her shoes for the show is long-time fan Toni Lee, with her Big Band and singers.

The two-hour show features the group’s many hits including Close To you, We've Only Just Begun, Superstar, Yesterday Once More, Top Of The World and Solitaire.

Looking forward to bringing the show to Wirral, Kent-based Toni told the Globe today: "It takes fans on a trip down Memory Lane, in what is a celebration of the life of a wonderful singer.

"Primarily, it's about the voice and the music. It’s not a lookalike show, even though I do have a few costume changes."

Explaining how the tribute act started, Toni - who mesmerised audiences as Karen on series 16 of ITV's Stars In Their Eyes - said: "I've been singing professionally for about 25 years and have been a Carpenters' fan since childhood.

"I would do covers by a different singers in my gigs, but people picked up on my vocal likeness to Karen.

"It wasn't until I went into the studio to record that I realised how much I sounded like her. I feel very honoured that I have that gift.

"My biggest dream would be to perform in front of Richard Carpenter, to see what he thought."

Tickets for the Floral Pavilion show are from www.floralpavilion.com or 0151 666 0000.