The Hartlepool entertainer is down to the last six in a television contest to find a new presenter.

But it's not all been rosy for the 42-year-old.

She's just come back from a year-long health scare in which she feared she would never sing again - and it's just three years since she was badly injured in a road accident.

CHRIS CORDNER reports.

NO-ONE can say that Gina Pontoni has had it easy.

Sure, she's enjoying success at the moment after reaching the finals of the GMTV Sofa Factor competition to find a new presenter.

In fact, she was even stopped in the street near Selfridge's near London as she spoke to the Mail.

A passer-by told her he'd seen her on telly that morning – adding: "I thought you were fab!"

"Cheers. Thanks a lot," replied Gina who then told the Mail she couldn't believe she'd reached the GMTV finals.

It's a marked contrast to the hell Gina was going through this time last year.

She remembers: "I had a really bad cough. I was coughing that much and I thought it was going to be the kiss of death for me as a singer.

"It went on for two weeks and I was starting to sound like Louis Armstrong."

Gina sought help and was told she had caused an "erosion on her vocal cord.

"I was told I might not get my voice back. It was so devastating. I have never cried so much in my life.

"It was the worst year of my life apart from when my dad died."

Gina had to spend time with a singing coach to get her silky tones back. Thankfully, her voice has returned and it's as strong as ever.

Remarkably, it's the second time her voice has been in jeopardy.

Her life hung in the balance after an accident on the M61, in Lancashire, just over three years ago.

Gina had been out with her friend when her car was involved in the accident.

Witnesses said her vehicle spun around in the air three times before landing on its roof.

Gina lost consciousness and it took 45 minutes for her to be cut from the car.

She was rushed to hospital, in Bolton, where she heard doctors saying that if they didn't act quickly then she would die.

She broke all of her ribs, smashed her leg in 12 places and smashed her skull.

But it was the punctured lung that led doctors to say that she may not be able to sing again.

Gina said: "They told me I might not get the power back in my lung to sing again. That's when I first started to think about a second career.

"I started thinking about presenting."

Gina spoke to the Mail last year about the crash and recalled at the time: "What they said was that I probably wouldn't get the power to sing again because of the scar tissue from puncturing my lung in three or four places.

"They also said that I would walk with a permanent limp. I thought to hell with that! I can't walk on to stage in a sequined frock and a limp, can I?

"It just made me more determined to prove them wrong and I was out of hospital within two weeks."

Her second battle to save her voice finally ended three weeks ago when she realised her battling spirit had pulled her through again.

She's back at work as a singer – although that may end if her career as a presenter takes off.

Gina has already been chosen for the final six in the GMTV Sofa Factor finals from over 5,000 entrants.

She faces a busy week this week before she learns if she is the winner.

She and the six other hopefuls will be put through her paces by the Sofa Factor judges - TV presenter Mel Sykes, GMTV's Richard Arnold, and the toughest agent in the business, Melanie Cantor.

To prove their skills in front of the camera, the six finalists will face a series of different challenges to show they've got what it takes to be a TV presenter.

Today, they took on the ultimate presenting challenge when they worked with animals at London Zoo.

Tomorrow, they will learn the tricks of the trade for presenting the weather with GMTV's Clare Nasir.

Wednesday sees a set visit to the Bill while on Thursday, the finalists will be presenting with children.

One hopeful will be eliminated everyday until two are left on Thursday. The fate of the final two will be decided by the public as voting opens on the GMTV website – with the winner being announced the next day.

Gina, from Seaton Carew, has been through more than most in her lifetimes.

The lows of the crash and the illness contrast with high-profile gigs across America such as one at famous jazz club Birdland in New York and a gig in Atlantic City.

But now fame could be beckoning - and Gina says: "How fantastic would that be for a Hartlepool lass."