Dua Lipa shares an emotional reunion with her music teacher from Sylvia Young Theatre School during her ITV Christmas special

Dua Lipa and her school teacher were both in tears on her ITV special on Sunday night.

The pop star, 29 ,attended the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in the years before she found global fame and was reunited with Ray in what became one of the most emotional moments of her Royal Albert Hall special.

Surprising Ray as he recorded an interview for the show, she tearfully told him: 'I have to say that you helped me with my confidence, and you made such a big difference.

Upon hearing those words, the music teacher burst into tears, recognising that the Levitating hitmaker has become one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

The Barbie star studied at the London school on weekends as a child and then re-enrolled following her A-Levels.

The institution boasts a whole host of famous faces amongst its alumni, including Amy Winehouse, Tom Fletcher and Gemma Collins.  

Earlier in the evening Elton John fans were left in tears over his emotional duet with Dua during her concert special that aired on Sunday. 

The legendary musician, 77, recently admitted he has not been able to see out of his right eye for months, and his left eye 'is not the greatest' and also underwent a knee replacement in January. 

Throughout most of the performance at the Royal Albert Hall, which was filmed on October 17, he remained seated. 

Viewers of the ITV special hailed his friendship with Dua, 29, 'so special' as the pair sang their chart-topping hit Cold Heart. 

Sharing their thoughts to X, fans wrote: 'This is the performance I wanted to see at Glastonbury when Elton & Dua Lipa both headlined in consecutive years. Better late than never!'; 'Love Dua Lipa and Elton John’s Friendship'; 

'The friendship between Sir Elton John and Dua is so precious'; 'The way that a legend like Elton John talks about Dua with such affection and praise? Dua’s building a career for the history books – mark my words.'

Another added: 'It's so crazy to me how easily Dua and Elton became besties I love them so much also it's time for a new collab please.' 

Elton was guided gently off the stage following a performance and left his audience in no doubt of the challenges he faces after losing his sight.

A production assistant held out a supportive hand for the singer to hold as he made his way backstage at the Royal Albert Hall. 

For her concert special An Evening with Dua Lipa, she introduced him with the words, ‘Give it up for a man who needs no introduction, Elton John.'

When the final chorus of their chart-topping hit Cold Heart arrived, Sir Elton stood briefly, swaying gently to the music, though he refrained from moving his feet.

As the song ended, The Goodbye Yellow Brick Road hitmaker extended his hand to the Houdini singer, holding it in the air until she realised he wanted her to take it.

His emotional performance was capped by a kiss on the cheek from Dua before Sir Elton was carefully escorted offstage.

Concertgoers described the atmosphere as electric, with one telling the Mail: 'The chemistry between Elton and Dua was really sweet and joyous to see, they clearly have a lot of love for each other and to see that live was special.' 

They added: ‘He obviously wasn’t as active a stage presence as in years gone by, needing to sit down and be escorted onto the stage, but he sang as well as he ever has and filled the hall with emotion.

'It was bittersweet to see him struggling a little, and I didn’t know the extent of his vision loss, but it’s amazing he can still create such a fantastic environment in a venue of that calibre.’

Another Royal Albert Hall attendee shared: ‘It was incredible to see Elton John live, we were ecstatic to see him and truly shocked that he had come.

‘It was emotional seeing him, knowing that his health and balance was deteriorating - he was led on by the hand and perched on a stool for the majority of Cold Heart.

‘You could definitely tell that the performance meant a lot to him, he was standing and dancing hand in hand with Dua by the end of the song, along with the entire audience. His vocals remained strong and compelling, I don't think his charm and charisma was lacking in the slightest.

‘The crowd was completely hooked: we were dancing and singing along to Dua and the orchestra from the beginning, however Elton John's surprise appearance transformed the night into a standout event.’

This latest performance follows Sir Elton’s candid public admission that he has lost his sight due to a severe infection earlier this year.

At the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical in London, he shared his struggles with the condition, thanking his husband, David Furnish, for his unwavering support.

‘I’ve lost my eyesight,’ Sir Elton revealed, explaining that he now relies more on sound than sight to experience performances.

At the curtain call of the musical, Sir Elton was assisted onstage by David, 62.

He said: 'And [thanks] to my husband who's been my rock because I haven't been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I've lost my eyesight.

'It's hard for me to see it but I love to hear it.’

Elsewhere in the concert, Dua performed 19 of her songs, reimagined with a 53-piece orchestra and a 14-person choir, with her seven-piece band.

The show also featured the live debut of Dance The Night, from the soundtrack of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film.