Where are Britain’s Got Talent child stars now? A look back at the show’s youngest performers

Britain’s Got Talent returned for an incredible 16th series last weekend, with a new crop of hopefuls looking to impress judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and newcomer Bruno Tonioli.

And it was the youngsters who came out on top, with 13-year-old choirboy Malakai Bayoh taking home Simon’s golden buzzer on Sunday after moving everyone to tears with his performance of Pia Jesu.

On Saturday’s show, Bruno was accidentally seen pressing his golden buzzer early after being blown away by Ugandan orphans Ghetto Kids, who impressed with their amazing dance moves.

With the younger generation dominating the talent show to date, it’s easy to forget that some of the biggest stars to emerge from the show were just kids.

From blossoming acting careers to a posh restaurant job, MailOnline takes a look at where BGT child stars are now…

Connie Talbot

Connie was just six years old when she auditioned for the show in 2007, and the young star was an instant hit with her angelic voice and adorable missing front teeth.

She impressed with her rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow in the final, but was put on the pole by eventual winner Paul Potts.

Since then, Connie has had a generally successful singing career, releasing her debut album Over the Rainbow in 2007, followed by a Christmas record and her Holiday Magic album.

Her fourth record Beautiful World, released under Hong Kong-based label Evosound, reached number one on the Taiwanese charts.

She has since returned to BGT: The Champions in 2019, as well as an appearance in America’s Got Talent: The Champions in 2020, but failed to make it to the final stage on either one.

Connie still sings and performs and announced earlier this year that her new EP Growing Pains will be released this month.

During an appearance on This Morning last month, Connie said of BGT: ‘It feels like that was the beginning of my life because I don’t really remember anything before that.

“But I remember bits of the show. It was just, I just wanted to be on the X Factor and obviously I was too young, so I was like, “Yeah,” this was next.

And it was the first season, so there were no expectations whatsoever for the show. It just started as a fun day out. It has given me a career today, which is incredible. I’m so lucky.’

Lagi Andreas

Michalakis ‘Lagi’ Andreas made the audience howl with laughter when he took the stage with father Demetrios in 2009 as part of Stavros Flatley.

The then 13-year-old and his father proved hugely popular thanks to their hilarious, shirtless dance act, with the duo eventually finishing in fourth place.

Since then, the two have made several TV appearances, including ITV’s Sugar Free Farm and Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions, finishing runners-up.

However, shortly after their return to BGT, Lagi announced that he had left Stavros Flatley.

He told MailOnline: ‘When we got to The Champions I thought it was the right time to leave. But Simon Cowell told me not to stop forever. So I’ll be back for some shows.’

The 26-year-old TV personality has since married his fiancé Annika Crawford in September 2022. Six months earlier, the couple welcomed their first child Xenia.

George Samson

George was just 14 when he was crowned Series 2 champion, having particularly impressed in the final thanks to his performance on Mint Royale’s remix of Singin’ In The Rain.

While dancing is his passion, George later turned to acting, after appearing as Kyle Stack in Waterloo Road and Gary in Mount Pleasant.

He also played roles in Emmerdale and the StreetDance movies, while also taking the stage in Panto.

George recently appeared as the Prince in the Cinderella pantomime in Clacton-on-Sea.

The artist is also in love with actress girlfriend Kazmin Borrer, and the couple recently celebrated their three-year anniversary.

Ron Parke

Ronan had the judges and audience swooning thanks to his amazing audition performance of Feeling Good when he was just 12.

The youngster missed out on the top spot at the 2011 show, when Scottish singer Jai McDowell was crowned champion.

Since appearing on the show, Ronan signed a record deal with Simon Cowell’s label and released a self-titled album of covers, but unfortunately was dropped a year later.

In 2019, Ronan opened up about his sexuality, telling Attitude magazine, “I’ve always identified as gay — and I’ve always been proud to say it.”

While Ronan still has a penchant for performing, he was recently spawned looking dapper in a smart suit while working at posh London restaurant Scott’s.

Shaheen Jafargholi

Shaheen blew everyone away with his powerful rendition of Michael Jackson’s Who’s Loving You at his 2009 audition.

The then 12-year-old’s performance garnered worldwide praise and it even led to him being selected to perform his audition song at Michael’s televised memorial service at the Staples Center in LA.

Shaheen’s amazing voice saw him perform on many TV shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, The MOBO Awards, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

He continued his acting career and made cameo appearances in films such as Torchwood and Grandpa in My Pocket.

Shaheen next had a role in EastEnders in 2016, playing Bonnie Langford’s on-screen son Shakil, before the character was killed off two years later.

In August 2018, it was announced that he had signed on to play nurse Marty Kirkby in Casualty, a role he played for five years before calling it quits last month.