Heartbreak but a whole lot of pride for Tipton's Amy Lou as comedian wins Britain's Got Talent
It was heartbreak for Tipton singer and Britain's Got Talent contestant Amy Lou Smith who did not walk away with the £250,000 top prize in Sunday night's live final.
Despite delivering a powerful rendition of the ballad 'Reflection' from the Disney animated film Mulan the mother-of-two, who attracted high praise from the judges, was in the end beaten by comedian Viggo Venn, from Norway.
Dressed in a stunning sparkly red gown and wielding a matching microphone stand, sunbed receptionist Amy Lou looked every inch the star. The 34-year-old was given a standing ovation during the live final showdown when she attracted high praise for her "amazing" voice from judges Simon Cowell, Bruno Tonioli, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden.
She was the third act to take to the stage and gave a performance fit for a king with controlled singing and perfectly-pitched high notes to display the range of her powerful vocals.
But it was not enough to secure a place in the top three following the public vote, which came down to Venn, dancer Lilliana Clifton and magician Cillian O'Connor.
Asked by show founder Simon how she was feeling Amy Lou replied: "I really do want this for my children.
"I was only used to singing in little tiny pubs where nobody was ever interested," she added.
At 30 weeks pregnant the singer made it through to the televised audition round with her performance of Beyonce’s smash-hit 'Listen', followed by a semi-final place with the Dreamgirls classic 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going', wowing judges and audience alike.
The mother to a four-year-old gave birth to her new baby daughter Aida on April 15 which coincided with the airing of her recorded audition.
Alesha told her: "I have loved being on this journey with you. I don't think it should be under-estimated what you've achieved. You have only just given birth to your daughter a few weeks ago."
Bruno described her voice as being filled with "richness, depth" and "smoky velvet".
The singer, who works at JuicyTubes, in Wake Green Road, Tipton, was cheered on by an army of fans from the town who wore white 'Amy' t-shirts to the finals.
The series winner Venn won £250,000 and a place in the line-up at the Royal Variety Show on November 30.
Singing star Susan Boyle, who was runner-up to 2009 Britain's Got Talent winners hip-hop dance troupe Diversity, made an appearance with the cast of West End musical Les Miserables and revealed that she suffered a stroke 14 months ago.
