Glee sweetheart Lea Michele has revealed that when she made her on-screen debut at the age of nine her mother wasn't present as she suffered a panic attack before they got to the set. 

The singer and actress starred on an episode of Sally Jessy Raphael, entitled 'I'm a Kid... & I'm Already a Star', back in 1995 although she had to go it alone as her mother became ill before the filming began. Speaking to Allure magazine Michele explained:

"I remember my mother was so nervous, she couldn't sit in the audience. So they put another woman in my mum's seat. And it said under her name, 'Lea's mum.'"

The setback didn't affect her performance however as she still managed to belt out a rendition of a song from Broadway's Les Miserables while looking over at the stranger in her mother's seat. 

Watch Michele's version of 'Firework' from the recent Glee Live! tour below: