Teenage singer Fantasia Barrino has won the third series of US TV talent search
American Idol.
Barrino, 19, a single mother from High Point, North Carolina, beat 16-year-old Diana DeGarmo in the final in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.
A record 65 million phone votes were cast by viewers of the Fox TV show, up from 24 million last year.
Barrino will receive a record contract like the show's previous winners, Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard.
On learning she had won, Barrino grabbed runner-up DeGarmo in a bear hug and twisted her around as tears streamed down her face.
"Thank you so much," she said. "I've been through some things but I worked hard to get to where I'm at."
Gracious in defeat, a tearful DeGarmo said: "I'm so proud to have come here with Fantasia. She's my girl and you guys will treat her well."
Barrino had dazzled the judges with a powerful version of Gershwin's Summertime and two other songs.
Her first single will be I Believe, written by Tamyra Gray, a contestant from the show's first series.
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