Singing nun to face final judgement on The Voice

No one puts this nun in a corner; Italy's unlikely singing sensation has stormed through to the final of The Voice.

Sister Cristina became an internet sensation after her performance of Alicia Keys' 'No one' saw all four of the judges on the Italian version of hit TV show turn round to bid for her to be on their team; though it was rapper J-Ax who would become her mentor.

Her performances have now been viewed almost 50 million times online, and she dazzled during a duet with Kylie Minogue earlier this month – thankfully with no gold hot pants in sight.

On Wednesday Sister Cristina stunned the judges once again with an energetic rendition of 'I've had the time of my life', made famous by the 1987 hit film 'Dirty Dancing', which saw her slide through into the final next week despite - a little disappointingly – no daring attempts at the lift made famous by Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.

The show has faced criticism for Sister Cristina's uniform of a habit and large crucifix; with some cynics suggesting that it's a showbiz attempt to pull in more viewers, while others have called for her to wear more "neutral" clothes.

J-Ax, however, has insisted that "If you want the voice, you have to take the whole package", and praised the way that the nun has bought a diverse group of people together on the show.

"I want to live in an Italy like this: where I – an atheist rapper, can showcase, with all due respect, a nun being embraced by an Italian with Mauritian roots. I want to live in this kind of Italy," he declared on live TV on Wednesday.

An unlikely friendship has bloomed between the two; the Italian rapper recently told a talk show that Sister Cristina has been "one of the most wonderful and wholesome things that has ever happened in my career".

Now a finalist, the holy sensation will face her final judgement next Thursday in the hopes of winning an elusive record contract. Watch Wednesday's performance below:

The Voice UK are currently looking for applicants for their fourth series, so if you think you could give Sister Cristina a run for her money, apply for the open auditions here.