Opera singer Faryl Smith is getting used to her new-found fame and spent yesterday being interviewed by reporters and television crews following her performance on the ITV show on Saturday.

Celebrity judge Simon Cowell described the 12-year-old as "extraordinary" and he and fellow judges Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden voted unanimously to send her through to the next round of the competition.

Faryl, a pupil at Southfield School for Girls in Kettering said: "It was really strange watching it on television. I just went along to the first auditions for a bit of fun.

"I didn't hear anything for a while but then we had a call to say I would be doing an audition in January in front of the celebrity judges.

"When they put the microphones on me, it hit me that I was going to perform to Simon Cowell. I have watched X-Factor and American Idol and to do it myself was unbelievable. Ant and Dec made me feel more comfortable about it though."

The three judges were full of praise for Faryl's rendition of Ave Maria, which received a standing ovation from the audience.

Faryl said: "I didn't think anyone would think anything of it. My mouth just dropped when Simon said it was the best audition he'd seen this year. It was just a fantastic feeling. It's all gone so quickly."

Faryl appeared on GMTV yesterday and described her day as "the busiest of my life".

Faryl, a member of the Masquerade Choir in Barton Seagrave, was even recognised by a number of people on the train to London.

Talking about the possibility of winning, Faryl said: "I haven't thought about the money – I would just love to perform on the Royal Variety Show."

She will return to London in two or three weeks to see if she is through to the semi-finals.

Dad Tony said they first realised Faryl had an exceptional singing voice when she was about seven and she has been having singing lessons with Sylvia Berryman for about six years.

He said: "She is taking all this in her stride – she's very grounded. We will support her as long as she's okay with it."

Faryl also enjoys playing football, performing in a theatre group and playing guitar.

Southfield deputy headteacher Julie Goswell said: "Everyone at the school is very proud of her. Her performance on Saturday was fantastic."

A group on the social networking website Facebook called Faryl Smith from Kettering to win Britain's Got Talent has already attracted more than 200 members and her audition from Saturday's show has been watched by thousands on YouTube.

To listen to Faryl's amazing voice go here.

To read about her performance in front of Simon Cowell click this link.