We took her and two friends to Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, on the London Eye, shopping in posh Kensington and to the theatre to watch The Lion King.

Birhan, 23, who had only left her home in the remote northern highlands of Ethiopia once before and had never been on a boat or train, was awestruck.

She said: “The main difference been Britain and Ethiopia is there are so many cars in the streets but no donkeys.

“My favourite thing was the London Eye — and going in the lift at my hotel.

Perfect timing ... she visits Big Ben

“Seeing all these wonderful things in London makes me so happy to be alive. Now we must help others who are still going hungry in Africa.”

Her tour marks the end of an incredible journey for Birhan. At three she was given 15 minutes to live by nuns treating the starving masses in the 1984 Ethiopian famine.

A pitiful bundle of skin and bones, her picture from news footage was shown on giant screens at 1985’s Live Aid.

But she made a miraculous recovery and last month The Sun tracked her down to her poor village of Quiha, close to the centre of the Eighties famine.

She is now studying agriculture supported by Leicester-based charity the African Children’s Education Trust.

Harrowing ... picture of starving Birhan in 1984

After finding Birhan we introduced her to Tony Blair. She carries a handwritten note from the PM everywhere she goes.

It reads: “Dear Birhan, It was great to meet you. Very good luck in all that you are doing. Best wishes, Yours sincerely, Tony Blair.”

We arranged for Birhan to meet the PM and Live Aid mastermind Bob Geldof when they visited Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa for the Commission for Africa summit.

It was there The Sun suggested the Band Aid single be re-recorded for the 20th anniversary.

The next day we asked Coldplay, Travis and The Darkness to sing on they record — they all agreed immediately.

The Eye's the limit ... Birhan gets a great view of London

Sir Bob, 53, said: “After the meeting Blair and I cracked open a bottle of wine and I talked about all the things I had seen in Africa.

“But the one which struck home was this beautiful girl Birhan, who we both met thanks to The Sun.

“She is a great intellect who wants to give back because she had gone through this awful experience. What has made Band Aid 20 so utterly relevant is Birhan — this elegant, beautiful woman who we had all seen at Live Aid. The Sun said, ‘You should do the record.’ All credit to The Sun. I am very grateful.

“Blair watched Live Aid at home with the missus. Then there he was, shaking hands with the girl who we all thought must have died. He was staring at her in disbelief. The tears were welling.”

Sir Bob also wept on Sunday as he introduced Birhan to the stars of Band Aid 20 as they re-recorded Do They Know It’s Christmas.

Star guest ... Birhan with Sir Bob, and, right, her letter from PM

And as they watched the harrowing footage of her pitiful, emaciated face, singers such as Blur’s Damon Albarn and Will Young also wiped away tears.

Birhan told them: “I thank God I am alive today. It’s a miracle I am here.

“I didn’t know what Band Aid was until I was told recently. Now I know people in Britain were very generous and so many people’s lives were saved.”

Twenty years ago her father and his family had joined the trek towards the town of Mekele to seek food after years of drought had destroyed crops.

He said: “Birhan was dying in my hands. The nurse said, ‘This child is too far gone.’

Survivor ... Birhan at her home in Quiha

“They ignored her because they thought she had died. So I wrapped her in a shroud and prepared to bury her.”

But he felt a tiny pulse and a nurse then saved her life by giving her milk.

Devout Christian Birhan added: “I now want to help others in Africa. I have learned at college about how we need dams and irrigation so that when the rains fail, we still have water for crops.

“But we need money for schools, hospitals and jobs so we can help ourselves.”

Last month The Sun witnessed hundreds of hungry people queuing for food in the same sun-bleached hills around Mekele.

The awful truth is that today, twice as many Ethiopians as in 1984 are hungry.

Sir Bob added: “Birhan is a symbol of hope and courage. Thousands of others like her are alive today because of Band Aid.

“She is an inspiration to me and should be an inspiration to the world of what can be achieved.”

His message to Sun readers is simply this: “It is so important to buy as many of the Band Aid records as you can fit in your pocket this Christmas.

“The cash will help — but if millions buy it then politicians will be forced to act.”