Britain's Got Talent's child singer beaten by Paul Potts reveals stalker hell as she opens up about dark side of fame

Wales Online

03-05-2025

Britain's Got Talent's child singer beaten by Paul Potts reveals stalker hell as she opens up about dark side of fame
Connie Talbot was just six when she auditioned for the first series of Britain's Got Talent and her life changed overnight, but unfortunately for her, fame came at a cost.
Connie Talbot stunned the judges with her audition on the first ever series of the show
(Image: Ken McKay/REX/Shutterstock )
Everyone remembers Connie Talbot's heart-warming audition on Britain's Got Talent, as she wowed the judges and audience with her performance of Somewhere Over the Rainbow from the Wizard of Oz. She just six-years-old when she auditioned, and was known for her beaming smile albeit missing her two front teeth.
Connie's life changed over night thanks to her appearance on the TV talent show, although her fame came at a cost when she experienced hell at the hands of a stalker.
‌
The singer came third on the first ever season of BGT, but ultimately Port Talbot's own Paul Potts ended up being the champion. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
‌
She moved judges Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan, and Amanda Holden and audiences alike and inspired many children including George Sampson to audition for the following seasons.
After the series she was signed to Rainbow Recording Company for a six-figure deal, where she released her debut album Over the Rainbow in November 2007, before it later reached Gold in the December.
Connie continued with her singing career and on August 31, 2019 she also took part in Britain's Got Talent: The Champions with an original song called Never Give Up on Us. The song was released the same day and by the following day, the song had reached number eight on the UK iTunes chart.
Article continues below
18 years after her original audition, and now 24-years-old, Connie has a more sombre view of the music industry after a turbulent few years away from the limelight.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
The singer experienced bullying, premature sexualisation and relentless stalking to the point where her own mother suggested that they leave Britain to escape the overwhelming pressure.
‌
In a 2024 interview with the Daily Express, she said: "There's definitely a darker side to being a child in the entertainment industry and being in that industry as a child has come with sacrifices.
"And unfortunately for me, that included having a stalker, which I've had for most of my life. "
Despite seeing so much success following Britain's Got Talent, she faced a barrage of abuse from vicious keyboard warriors and callous classmates.
‌
She explained: "It still baffles me today that a small child would get hate. It's shocking that people can hate on a six year old girl, but that's what happened.
"Because I was in and out of school performing and recording, there were a few incidents where other children would sing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow,' at me in the corridors, which I can see now is quite funny."
Not only did Connie, who rose to fame at six-years-old, have to deal with bullying she also had to deal with being sexualised by adults despite being a young child.
‌
She said: "Unfortunately, there are people who are inappropriately interested in children, so my parents had to deal with those sorts of comments.
"We had to deal with potential paedophiles saying lots of stuff they shouldn't have been saying. There was one comment that my dad has never forgotten to this day, and he had to deal with it silently by himself at the time, but after that, nothing really gets to me comments wise."
The terrifying saga continued into her teenage years when Connie became a massive celebrity in Asia, drawing an audience of 400 million viewers on Chinese state television, not to mention her appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Showand The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which drew in millions more.
‌
She recalled: "I was thirteen when the stalker situation got serious. Obviously I was a minor, but he thought he was in a relationship with me.
"He came into my house with pepper spray but he was arrested and eventually he went to prison for two years, then he got deported back to his country, but the whole experience has been a lot."
Unfortunately for Connie, the nightmare isn't quite behind her as he is now out of jail and even followed her on her first ever holiday as an adult with her boyfriend and her friends.
‌
She explained: "I'd been on the Lorraine Show, and she asked me where I was going on holiday and I told her, so the stalker knew where I was going.
"We were in the main town and went to use the toilet in McDonald's and that's where he was. Nothing happened but I just have to take precautions to stay safe."
The entire ordeal has understandably had a significant impact on Connie's family, with her mum Sharon once suggesting they leave the UK to escape the situation.
‌
Connie said: "My mum did suggest, 'Let's just cut your hair off. Go brunette and let's just leave the country.'
"She said, 'Let's just go absolutely AWOL and forget this."
In an era when reality talent shows are increasingly scrutinised for their duty of care towards contestants, Connie admits that the support she received from Britain's Got Talent was minimal.
‌
She said: "When I finished the show, we were offered some people to talk to at the time, but then the next year comes round and the show is more focused on the people involved in next year's show.
"I don't remember exactly what specific help we got with dealing with the intense spotlight back then but I think there is a lot more awareness of mental health issues now.
"I just don't think we thought about it so specifically back then. We just sort of got on with it. Everyone did at the time, but now we've progressed as a nation to understand how important mental health is. There definitely have been struggles over the years, but I guess it makes for good material to write songs about."
‌
Despite enduring a traumatic 18-year ordeal, Connie's passion for music has remained steadfast. "I know this sounds really cringe, but music is just something that lives in me, and I just don't think I could not do music, even after all that.
"Music has always been therapy for me and when I started writing songs aged about 16, it felt even more like it.
"I feel really lucky to have been writing songs as an outlet to get over things. I write every day and it's really helped me deal with a lot over the years and it still does now."
Article continues below