BGT child star Hollie Steel who sobbed on stage unrecognisable 16 years later

It’s been 16 years since Hollie Steel first appeared on Britain’s Got Talent, enchanting viewers with her heavenly voice. She impressed Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden with her performances, and at the tender age of 10, she was a strong candidate to win the show.

However, during the semi-finals, under the immense pressure of the competition, Hollie experienced a distressing panic attack live on stage. Simon Cowell made the unheard of choice to allow her to resurrect her performance that made her finals. Despite her talent, she ended up in sixth place, eclipsed by the success of the eventual winners, dance group Diversity.

Since her stint on the show, Hollie has undergone an incredible transformation. She is now 26 years old and has performed at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall in New York. After three years of study, Holly graduated with a diploma in musical theater in 2017.

She appeared as Louisa von Trapp in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Sound of Music tour in the United Kingdom, and she also appeared as Frenchy on a Caribbean cruise ship in Grease. Her talents continue to shine brightly, earning her a dedicated following of over 22, 000 on Instagram and 50, 000 subscribers on YouTube, reports OK!.

Despite the glamour of the showbiz, Hollie has openly discussed her PTSD and panic attacks, which she identifies as having originated from a distressing episode of Britain’s Got Talent. Speaking to The Sun, Hollie shared: “I get this thing where I swallow when I’m nervous, so I started doing that and then I couldn’t control it”.

She added, “And obviously I didn’t have the capacity to gain back control of the panic attack. I was thinking, ‘ Oh no, it’s happened again. Keep going, keep singing. Oh no, Simon]Cowell] looks disappointed. Keep going. Smile. ‘” Hollie went on to say: “I know I have a lot of trauma, even from 14 years ago. Sometimes I go back to the scene where I was just about to have a panic attack when I’m on stage.

She explained the steps she’s taken towards healing: “I’ve done a lot of therapy and counselling where I’m just like, ‘ You need to breathe, you need to relax. You’re enjoying this. You’re fine’. I had to really understand the panic attacks and just keep going through them all.

Her sincere revelations sparked debates about the psychological effects of competing in talent shows and the welfare of young performers. Bruce Forsyth, a late television icon, once criticized the pressure placed on kids with such shows, saying, “To put little children through that kind of ordeal I think is wrong. Some tiny girl was crying out there. I don’t think that’s entertainment”.

Source: Mirror