A cheerleader born in Norfolk who stars in a hit documentary has said Great Yarmouth will always have a special place in her heart.

Eastern Daily Press: Father and daughter Gary and Shannon Woolsey, who moved from Great Yarmouth to the USA in 2001. Picture: Courtesy of Gary Woolsey.Father and daughter Gary and Shannon Woolsey, who moved from Great Yarmouth to the USA in 2001. Picture: Courtesy of Gary Woolsey. (Image: Archant)

Shannon Woolsey, 21, is a member of the cheerleading team at Navarro College in Texas, which has recently been hitting the headlines for its starring role in the Netflix docuseries 'Cheer'.

The show follows the ups and downs of the cheer squad as they work to win a coveted national title.

And while cheerleading is a quintessential American pasttime, Ms Woolsey still calls Great Yarmouth, quintessentially British, her hometown.

"I still refer to it as my hometown because that is where I was born and where my family comes from," she said.

Eastern Daily Press: Shannon Woolsey, 21, was born in Great Yarmouth and has been starring in the hit Netflix documentary 'Cheer'. Picture: Courtesy of Gary Woolsey.Shannon Woolsey, 21, was born in Great Yarmouth and has been starring in the hit Netflix documentary 'Cheer'. Picture: Courtesy of Gary Woolsey. (Image: Archant)

In 2001, when Shannon was three-years-old, her dad Gary was offered a job at an oilfield waste management company and the family moved to Texas, where they live on the outskirts of Houston.

Shannon said: "My whole family talks about the town all the time and we're actually going back to visit this summer for about ten days which I'm really excited about.

"I just wish I had more memories of it and I wish we got to go back and visit more often but with my family's schedules it's just super hard to find a good time to go."

She said Great Yarmouth has a special spot in her heart.

"I'm really big into the phrase 'remember where you came from' and with that being said I'll always love that town no matter how much memory I have of it or not but my whole family has grown up there.

"I still have so much family that lives there so that place will always be so special to me even though I have spent more of my life in America."

She joined Navarro in 2017 and said that life has been hectic since the show came out, with two appearances on the Ellen show already under her belt.

Her dad Gary, 59, said it has been surreal to see his daughter on TV.

"To see the show knowing how much we have been part of many of these peoples lives for many years was a great feeling," he said.

He said what he most misses about Yarmouth are family and friends, fresh fish and chips, the beach, banter and the Mercury on a Friday.

The Woolsey family will visit Yarmouth this summer for the first time in years.