With another series of Britain’s Got Talent set to air tonight, we’re reminded of all the previous contestants who have tragically lost their lives after finding fame on the show
Britain’s Got Talent is back on our screens tonight.
Ant and Dec will once again be fronting the ITV talent show, along with the judging panel of Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and new judge, KSI, to find the most talented person in the land hoping to win the grand prize of performing in front of royalty at the Royal Variety Show.
Launched in 2007, Britain’s Got Talent has made huge stars of some of the talented people to step onto the stage, determined to impress. Who can forget Susan Boyle’s incredible rendition of I Dreamed A Dream? Dance troupe Diversity ad singer Paul Potts also went on to have incredibly successful careers.
However, behind the smiles there have also been some devastating tragedies for those who have appeared on the show. Here we have a look at the BGT stars whose lives were cut tragically short.
Chantel Bellew
The most recent loss of past contestants from the show was Chantel Bellew, renowned for her incredible tap dancing skills. She reached the semi-finals of the show in 2019 and famously gave Strictly Come dancing judge Anton Du Beke lessons in tap dancing.
Tragically, at just 34, she took her own life, a coroner concluded, after taking an overdose just weeks after her birthday.
Her mother has since spoken out about Chantel’s struggles, which skyrocketed after her career struggled, and she was thought to have suffered from a mental breakdown.
Paula Moulton
The dance group, known as Strictly Wheels, appeared on the 2012 series of the show and was comprised of Paula Moulton and Gary Lyness.
Sadly, Paula passed away unexpectedly in 2024 at the age of 52, despite having contracted MRSA and living with damage to her pelvis, lower spine, femur and hips.
Paying tribute to his dance partner, Gary shared at the time: “Paula always focused on the positive things in life; her disability was never a barrier. She should be remembered for all the positivity she brought into the many lives she touched.”
Simone Kerr
Simone helped to form part of the 60-member NHS choir B Positive, which auditioned for the show in 2018. The group was made up of staff, donors, and patients from NHS Blood and Transplant, and their heartfelt performances led them to the very end, making the final.
During her time on Britain’s Got Talent, the singer and nurse was grieving the loss of her six-year-old son Kavele, who lost his life to sickle cell disease in 2015. Shortly after the show, at 31, Simone’s life was taken in a brutal knife attack.
She was killed by her partner, Desmond Dylva, who in July 2019 received a life sentence for her murder. Her colleagues at the hospital shared their tributes, remembering her as “one in a million”.
Emma Jones
Many will remember Emma from Cumbria for her breathtaking singing performance in that very first audition back in 2015. She became a semi-finalist in the series after giving a performance that Amanda Holden dubbed as “one of the most beautiful auditions”.
At just 32, it was announced in 2025 that Emma had lost her life on Valentine’s Day after receiving a multiple organ cancer diagnosis.
The news was broken on her Facebook page, where the post explained that the doctor believed it began as ovarian cancer, which then spread to her organs.
David Watson
Now this contestant held a record for competing in the shower not once, but 12 times. The Altrincham magician first auditioned in 2008, performing impressions of politicians and famous faces, before returning in 2010.
With a world of fun, David became a firm fixture at the Britain’s Got Talent auditions, with hilarious attempts to wow the judges year in and year out. Although in 2020 he struck gold when, for the first time, he made it through to the second round of the competition.
Sadly, in 2021, Watson was discovered dead at his home, supposedly following his family’s concerns after they were struggling to contact him. His passing was deemed non-suspicious.
Robert Anker
Robert formed part of the iconic Diversity dance troupe who went on to win Britain’s Got Talent in 2009.
As a member of the group, Robert went on to have an amazing career, performing on So You Think You Can Dance? and Strictly Come Dancing, alongside collaborating with some of the biggest names in pop music.
In 2017, he decided to relocate with his wife, Cyndi, and the pair moved their lives to Canada. Tragically, he was involved in a car accident in Ontario, which resulted in him losing his life, aged just 27.
Jack Saunders
Green Force Five were a five-member dance group that reached the semi-finals in 2019, before they withdrew from the competition due to the premature death of Jack Saunders.
Before BGT he already had a successful career in dance, performing at the London Olympics and making it to the Got To Dance finals.
Jack, at just 25, tragically took his own life in March 2019, leaving his family and friends devastated. After his death, his mother, Sandra, shared, “I want people to know this can happen to any family. There is no stereotype – it doesn’t have to be a manic depressive who has shown signs of mental health problems.
“Jack was a kind soul. He worried about everyone else, always focused on others to make sure they were OK. He was the shoulder you cried on.”
Norma Clarke
Better known as ‘Granny Rapper’, Norma Clarke was a fan favourite of the talent show when she auditioned in 2007. Her performance made waves when viewers saw her sporting a hoodie and baseball cap, adding to the humour of her performance, which led her to the boot camp stage.
Audiences remembered her as a BGT icon for years, up until her passing in 2019, at 81. The great-grandmother passed away in hospital after facing a long battle with an illness.
Her daughter Amanda has since shared that her reason for initially entering the show was to win the £100,000 prize money so she could fund a community centre for the kids on her estate. She remembers her mother as being “such a character” whom many people will remember.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
