THIS weekend will see a host of hopefuls make their bid for fame and fortune as Britain’s Got Talent returns to our screens.
But while some have used the ITV talent show as a springboard to the big time, others have faced a sea of troubles – with crippling addictions, jail terms and even a brutal murder.
Judges Bruno Tonioli, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell will return for the 17th season of the hit show, on Saturday.
Wannabes from up and down the country will do their best to impress the famous foursome and win a spot at the Royal Variety Performance and the ultimate prize of £250,000.
But some of BGT’s past performers have been plagued by misfortune.
From a drug arrest over a £56k cannabis farm to a crule cancer fraud, we take a look at those whose lives took a tragic turn after the show.
Horrific murder
Simonne Kerr was a member of the NHS choir B Positive, which featured 60 singers with sickle cell disease or close friends or family who suffer from it.
The singer showcased her skills in 2018, after losing her son Kavele to complications due to the condition.
The choir reached the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent before being eliminated, but were brought back as a wild card and finally finished in 11th place.
In a horrific twist, just months after her appearance on the show Simonne, 31, was murdered by her on-off boyfriend Desmond Sylva at his Clapham flat.
The ex-soldier was jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years after the court heard the harrowing details of his sustained and ferocious attack on Simonne.
Cancer fraud
Opera singer Christopher Stone’s vocal chords blew away BGT judges in 2010 – storming his way to the finals.
But despite Simon Cowell praising him as “naturally gifted”, the singer spiralled after his time on the show.
In 2017, he was branded a ‘conman’ after he reportedly pretended to have cancer in an attempt to avoid a £280,000 tax probe.
Stone, 35 at the time, claimed he couldn’t meet tax inspectors because he was terminally ill and going to America for treatment.
But when HM Revenue and Customs officers checked with the US embassy they discovered his deception.
Paul Barton, assistant director of fraud investigations at HMRC, said: “This was a despicable attempt to avoid justice by a crook desperate to save his own skin.”
It was later revealed the tenor had registered phoney horse trading firm – claiming he had spend £1.4million on horses, riding equipment and vet bills to generate VAT repayments for Otley-based SS Equestrian.
But the business was a sham which allowed him to steal hundreds of thousands from the taxpayer.
His three-year fraud was uncovered when checks with Stone’s alleged suppliers revealed invoices were faked.
Investigators concluded SS Equestrian had not engaged in any legitimate trade and was established purely to steal VAT, totalling £272,288.62 between 2011 and 2014.
The fraudster pleaded guilty to cheating the public revenue and was sentenced to 33 months in prison.
Family rift
George Sampson shot to fame aged 14 when his breakdancing act won the second series of Britain’s Got Talent.
The dancer, who went on to star in Waterloo Road and Emmerdale, later opened up on how getting famous at such a young age caused a rift in his family.
Speaking on Loose Women in 2016, he said: “The price of fame put a strain on family life. I never knew my dad and my mum looked after us when I was growing up.
“I guess when I started making money, people got comfortable with it, and, because I was a child, my money had to be controlled and it kind of stayed that way.
“When I was 18, I thought I’d grow out of it and be able to do what I wanted, and I never got that chance, so me and my mum fell out a bit.”
George, now 30, even took his mum to court to have her evicted from the house he bought with his BGT winnings.
Deadly addiction battle
BGT warm-up act Ian Royce entered rehab in 2019 as he battled alcohol and sex addictions.
The compère, who also worked on The X Factor, spent 28 days in The Priory before seeking further treatment abroad.
Tragically, less than a year later, Ian died aged 51 from severe pneumonia and multiple organ failure.
His daughter Roxanne announced the sad news on his official Twitter account, writing: “It is with our greatest regret that we have to tell you all that Ian has passed away today from severe pneumonia and multiple organ failure.
“He was in no pain and surrounded by friends and family. He put up a good fight but is in a better place now.”
Arrested over £56k cannabis factory
British-Greek Cypriot Michalakis ‘Lagi’ Demetriou and his father Demitri entered the third series of BGT in 2009 as dance duo Stavros Flatley, finishing fourth behind Diversity, Susan Boyle and Julian Smith.
In 2017, Lagi was arrested following a drugs bust, with police officers reportedly finding a cannabis factory worth £56,000 at an Enfield flat.
However the family always insisted Lagi was innocent and had nothing to do with the drugs found.
Police later confirmed no charges would be brought against Lagi as they dropped their investigation.
Speaking to the Sun Online, Demetri said: “We’re relieved, obviously, because we knew he had nothing to do with it.”
He added that he blamed himself because he had sent Lagi over to the property, where police would eventually swoop, after the family was told there was a leak.
In happier news, Lagi now has two children with wife Annika Crawford this year.
The couple got engaged in 2020 and live in Cyprus, where Lagi runs a barber shop.
Tragic death
Magician David Watson, who auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent 12 times, sadly died at his Cheshire home in December 2021, aged just 62.
Police broke into the retired NHS worker’s home after his family raised concerns that he was not picking up their messages.
His death was not treated as suspicious.
Judge David Walliams said of David on This Morning: “He was a contestant who came back year in, year out and he auditioned for the show over 10 times.
“Unfortunately he passed away, but he was a wonderful eccentric and characters like him are really the lifeblood of Britain’s Got Talent.”
Long illness
Norma Clarke, aka “Granny rapper”, made it through to boot camp in BGT’s first series in 2007 with her performance of Sam the Rapper, which she wrote herself.
She sadly died of a heart attack and kidney failure in 2019 after battling a long illness.