Best friends forever - that's the claim from two seven-year-olds who have won through to the final of a TV contest to find the closest pals in the country.

Kate Marris and Natalie Jackson are one of three pairs of lucky finalists who will be featured on GMTV's live weekend programme for kids, Diggit.

They beat off hundreds of other pairs to win the vote of the programme's viewers.

To enter the competition, called "Best, Best Friends of 1999", Kate and Natalie were filmed playing together at their Benfleet homes to prove their friendship is the tops.

From ten videos shown on television, the duo was selected to go through to the final stage.

Kate, a pupil of Robert Drake Primary School in Benfleet, said: "Natalie is going to be my friend forever because she makes me laugh.

"On Saturday we have got to get up really early to go to the telly studio for the show."

The duo have known each other since nursery school and have vowed to never fall out.

Kate's proud mum Jane, of Manor Road, Benfleet, said: "They are absolutely inseparable. They are both quite shy but are very close. They say they will live in a mansion together when they grow up. They tell each other secrets and Kate says Natalie makes her laugh."

Diggit is being shown on ITV tomorrow from 7.10am to 9.25am.

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