LEONA THROUGH THE ROOF

Stamford Hill songbird Leona Lewis maybe topping the US charts – but she can t get a foot on the property ladder back home. Her debut single in America, Bleeding Love, got to number one on the other side of the Atlantic last week...

Stamford Hill songbird Leona Lewis maybe topping the US charts - but she can't get a foot on the property ladder back home.

Her debut single in America, Bleeding Love, got to number one on the other side of the Atlantic last week, the first time a British female solo singer has done so for 21 years, equalling its UK success.

Spirit, which holds the record for the fastest-selling debut album of all time, looks certain to hit the top spot, too, after an appearance on the influential Oprah Winfrey Show.

Oprah herself has been quoted as saying: "Talk about a star is born. You're the real deal, girl" and urged viewers to download her music after the shy singer received a standing ovation on the show.

But the money does not appear to be rolling in for Leona, who shot to fame after winning ITV's X Factor competition and turned 23 this week.,

She reportedly put in a £500,00 offer for a house in Hackney with childhood sweetheart, Lou Al-Chamaa, whom she has been dating since she was 17 and, if the rumours are true, to whom she has got engaged.

But the young couple had to pull out because the asking price was out of their range.

The singer's dad, Joe, has said that, despite being a fast-rising star in the music industry, Leona is far from being a millionaire.

The only thing she has splashed out on apparently since finding fame, if not fortune, is an £11,000 Mini Cooper car.