The ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ judges were left “fighting back tears” after a performance from a survivor of the Grenfell Tower disaster at this year’s auditions.
During filming in London last week, the judges were introduced to singer Leanne Mya, who explained to them that she’d “survived Grenfell”, the tower block where she lived with her partner and son before the 2017 disaster that took the lives of 72 people.
As reported by The Sun, Leanne then gave an emotional performance of Sam Smith’s ‘Lay Me Down’, which won over the judges and the audience at the London Palladium.
“You should be very proud,” the newspaper quotes Simon Cowell as telling the young hopeful. “It’s really important what you just did because it’s easy to forget something like [Grenfell] with everything that’s going on in the world.
“For everyone who lost their lives and had all this crap thrown at them, you’ve had the courage to come out here and pay tribute. You did something very special for them and for you.
“That’s what I call a moment with a capital ‘M’.”
HuffPost UK has contacted a ‘BGT’ representative for further comment.
In the wake of the Grenfell disaster, Simon Cowell organised a charity single, proceeds from which went to help those affected by the tragedy, featuring the likes of Rita Ora, Robbie Williams and Stormzy.
Stormzy is among the celebrities who has been most vocal in keeping the Grenfell tragedy in the public consciousness, even devoting a section of his Brit Awards performance last year to call out Theresa May for her actions in the aftermath of the disaster.
‘BGT’ returns to our screens later this year, with Ant McPartlin returning to our screens to host the show alongside regular co-presenter Declan Donnelly.