Leona Lewis has become the first British female solo artist to top the US pop charts in more than 20 years, it was confirmed today.

Lewis took the Billboard Hot 100 crown with her single Bleeding Love, as predicted in The Times, after selling 219,000 downloads. Sales soared 82 per cent after an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show.

The X Factor winner, from London, now faces a battle with Madonna to hold on to the top spot.

Kim Wilde was the last UK female chart-topper with You Keep Me Hangin’ On in 1987.

Lewis, 22, who Billboard compared to a young Whitney Houston in its biography, has already topped the charts in 10 countries with Bleeding Love, which was Britain’s biggest selling single in 2007.

Her debut album Spirit, due for US release on April 8, has sold over two million copies so far, according to a statement from Lewis’s record label SyCo Music, promoter and television star Simon Cowell’s division of Sony BMG.

Cowell, who has masterminded Lewis’s career since she won The X Factor in 2006 said: “I am incredibly proud of Leona, what she has achieved in the past year is simply amazing. I am very very happy for herâ€�.

Winfrey declared: “A star is born� after hearing Lewis sing live. Only two other UK female artists in history have ever topped The Billboard Hot 100 chart with their debut releases - the first was Petula Clark in 1965 with Downtown and the last was Sheena Easton 27 years ago in 1981 with Morning Train (Nine To Five).

Source: Times

Congratulations Leona!! I knew you would do us Brits proud!