X Factor's Miss Frank play ball

Shar Alexander (left) appears in series six of X Factor with Miss Frank

He is used to 29,000 football fans screaming behind him, but now Norwich City's Darel Russell is getting used to his sister being cheered on TV.

Shar Alexander or Sharlene Russell, one third of all-girl trio Miss Frank, has sung her way through to the final 10 on X Factor's series six.

"Hopefully she will get her 'break' from this," said Darel.

Shar is being backed by the whole Norwich City squad and Darel hopes Canary fans will follow suit.

"I managed to go and see the live show last week [Saturday, 17 October, 2009]. I'm really proud of her," he said.

"Come and watch Miss Frank on Saturday night and hopefully, if [Norwich City] get a good result, please do me a favour and vote for her when you get home," he added.

She's been singing since she was about 16 or 17 and she's been plugging away for a long, long time Darel Russell

Darel was flabbergasted when he went to see his sister perform in the X Factor live finals in London.

"It's very entertaining. The studio is a lot smaller than it looks on TV which freaked me out a little bit, but the whole way it was presented was extremely good," he said.

"You do get a different perspective on the artists when you watch it live than when you do on the TV. It really is a good experience," he added.

Showbiz success

The Russell family are ecstatic at the celebrity successes of Darel and Shar and they've been able to see it all unfold from the comfort of their own home.

"I said to my grandma, 'You don't actually need to leave the house this weekend to see me or Sharlene,' because my sister was singing on the Saturday and I was [playing football on TV] on Monday," said Darel.

"I've been supporting her every weekend - it's been a great, exciting time for her.

Darel is hoping that Canary fans will back Miss Frank on X Factor

"She's been singing since she was about 16 or 17 and she's been plugging away for a long, long time, but it's a tough gig - anything in the talent business is tough to get into."

While important tactics are discussed in the Carrow Road dressing room, away from the pitch Shar has become the talk of the Norwich City squad.

"The boys have been fantastic and really supportive. They've been helping in many different ways and I've been surprised at how many people have watched the show and know what's happening," said Darel.

"Even after the game at Leeds [on Monday, 19 October, 2009], some Leeds fans mentioned it to me and said they were supporting her as well - hopefully a lot of people in the football community are doing the same," he added.

When deciding who would be the toughest to impress - Norwich City manager Paul Lambert or X Factor judge Simon Cowell - Darel feels both him and his sister have their work cut out.

"I would say they are as equally as hard! You have to work hard and perform to the best of your ability with both of them," he said.

X Factor is broadcast on ITV1 on Saturday and Sunday at 8pm.