Left to right: Lisa Price, Marie McNulty and Jenny Crane

Three midwives from Basildon University Hospital boogied their way into a starring role in the greatest show on earth.

The trio were selected from hundreds of hopeful volunteers to perform in a mass dance routine at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Jenny Crane, Marie McNulty and Lisa Price were picked by British director Danny Boyle at a studio audition next to the stadium in east London, back in March.

They attended 20 rehearsals over the past few months to get ready for the performance, which tens of millions of people have watched worldwide, as they danced around the stadium in celebration of the NHS.

Marie said: "Performing in the opening ceremony was absolutely amazing; it was a privilege to be part of the biggest sporting event in the world."

Marie was among the 1.5m applicants disappointed not to obtain a ticket to the opening ceremony of the Games, so when the call went out for NHS staff to take part in the spectacle on 27 July, she decided to apply. She said: "I didn‟t tell anyone at work that I had auditioned, and it was amazing to be chosen, and even better to find out Lisa and Jenny were going to be there too."

Lisa, also unsuccessful when she applied for tickets to the Games, said: "I applied to audition because I thought it would be really good fun and a chance to be an ambassador for the NHS."

Jenny added: "It‟s good that a wide range of people were chosen to take part; all different ages, with some who are really good dancers and others who are just very enthusiastic.

"During rehearsal Danny Boyle said to us: „Close your eyes, imagine it is 27 July and there are 2.9 billion people watching you‟ and that made us realise how incredible it could be. It definitely lived up to our expectations."