AN uber-cool panto will be coming to Redditch's Palace Theatre this Christmas.

Vernie Bennett, from the international smash-hit RnB band Eternal, will be making her pantomime debut later this year in Jack and the Beanstalk when she stars as the Spirit of the Beans.

Eternal were formed in 1991 and their first single, Stay, went into the UK’s top 10 and the American Billboard Hot 100.

They went on to sell in excess of ten million records, were nominated for four Brit Awards, recorded the lead soundtrack for the movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame, had 12 top ten singles and one number one in the UK charts and were the featured artistes in a Pepsi campaign.

UK pantomime producer, Paul Holman for Paul Holman Associates, said: “I’m so excited to have Vernie headlining the show.

"She brings real star quality to the production and will be absolutely mesmerising as the magical Spirit of the Beans.”

The talented singer has been away from the public eye over the last few years when she returned to pursue her other passion in life; law.

She was admitted as a member of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple and was Called to the Bar by the Society in 2005 having completed her bar finals that same year.

And if that wasn’t enough, Vernie found time to get married and start a family.

2013 saw Eternal reunite for the ITV smash-hit show The Big Reunion.

It had been 10 years since the band had sung together and the group went on to perform together at various gigs across the country and saw their Greatest Hits album re-enter the iTunes charts at number one.

For more information about the panto, which runs from December 7 to January 3, visit redditchpalacetheatre.co.uk.