Simon Cowell praised a singer who survived the Grenfell Tower blaze for her courage following her performance on Britain’s Got Talent.
Leanne Mya, 31, received a standing ovation and four yeses from the judging panel after she sang Sam Smith’s Lay Me Down.
Before singing, she told Cowell: “The last 19 months have been really, really difficult. Very briefly, I’m a survivor from Grenfell Tower and I just made a decision that I’m going to do something positive, and try to make something positive out of something negative.”
Seventy-two people were killed in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire.
Cowell said: “I think this is really important, what you just did. I’m actually surprised every year at how many amazing people we meet on this show who have the courage like you to share something.
“I love things that do make a difference and that was something really special, and actually, I think the song, for me, took on a whole different meaning.”
Speaking in a video clip before she took to the stage, Mya said she was performing for her young son, to teach him to be brave and conquer his fears.
Another highlight of the episode was the show’s first on-stage proposal.
Jacob Jones, a barber instructor from Surrey, proposed to his girlfriend Faye Compton, who entered him in the competition, after he had received four yeses for his performance of Joe Cocker’s You Are So Beautiful.
A mind-reading couple and a 61-year-old pole dancer also impressed and shocked judges Cowell, Amanda Holden, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon.
James Harrington and Marina Liani wowed Cowell and Holden with an act that saw the judges reading each other’s minds.
Michael Sandwick, 61, from New York, received two yeses for a bizarre performance that saw him sing then end his act with a pole-dancing sequence performed to Climb Every Mountain from The Sound Of Music.
“What the bloody hell was that?” quipped Cowell, adding: “Look, without sounding rude, genuinely at one point I thought I was in a nightmare.”
The Truro Cathedral Choir from Cornwall were also a hit following a rousing rendition of The Lion King’s Can You Feel The Love Tonight.
Britain’s Got Talent continues on ITV.
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