Girl overcomes tears to win place in 'Britain's Got Talent' final
A 10-year-old girl who performed twice after bursting into tears on stage on her first attempt tonight won a place in the final of 'Britain's Got Talent'.
The judges saved an emotional Hollie Steel, from Accrington, Lancashire, praising her courage and note-perfect second rendition of 'Edelweiss'.
Fellow child star - self-taught street dancer Aidan Davis, 11, from Birmingham - secured the most votes from the public in the last semi-final of the ITV1 show to complete the line-up.
The two acts will join eight other competitors, including under-pressure global star Susan Boyle, in the grand final tomorrow night.
Hollie had to stop mid-way through her first performance when the nerves became too much.
After a hug from her mother and a desperate plea for another chance, the young singer was allowed to take to the stage for a second time later in the show.
Next time around, a tearful Hollie said she had enjoyed herself and her performance received resounding applause and a standing ovation from the judges, who praised her bravery.
Piers Morgan said: "That was one of the gutsiest things I've ever seen in my life. I couldn't have done that and I think you should be very proud of yourself."
After a speechless Aidan was named winner of the show, Hollie and male soprano Greg Pritchard faced the judges for the second spot in the final.
Despite praise for Pritchard's "unique" act, all three - Morgan, Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell - chose Hollie, with Morgan again singling out the "courageous" way in which she returned to the stage.
Holden added: "It wasn't just that she came back, it was that she gave the better performance vocally."
Asked by presenters Ant and Dec how she felt, Hollie fought back the tears to reply that she was "really really happy and I don't want it to stop".
Aidan, described as a young Justin Timberlake, was too excited about his victory to speak after the results were announced.
Cowell said he had "total confidence, total charisma, great face, great routine", while Morgan said: "I never saw Justin Timberlake dance when he was your age but I bet it was like that. Like Simon said, you have something very special."
Meanwhile, show bosses today rejected suggestions Boyle might be axed amid fears she was not coping with the pressure of her new-found fame.
Boyle, 48, was propelled into the spotlight following her audition for the show, singing 'I Dreamed A Dream' from the musical 'Les Miserables'.
She went on to become a global internet sensation, scoring millions of hits on video site YouTube and gaining celebrity support including that of Hollywood star Demi Moore.
However, Boyle, from Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland, has struggled to handle the attention and thought about quitting the show to escape the attention, judge Piers Morgan said.
A spokeswoman for 'Britain's Got Talent' said Boyle was receiving the support she needed from the show's producers.
"She just wants to focus on her performance, and the well-being of our contestants is our number one priority," she said.
Writing on his blog yesterday, Morgan said that "frightened rabbit" Boyle had fleetingly felt like throwing in the towel to escape all the attention.
He wrote: "Susan is finding it very, very difficult to cope, and to stay calm.
"She has been in tears many times during the last few days, and even, fleetingly, felt like quitting the show altogether at one point and fleeing all the attention."
In tonight's last live semi-final show, the winning acts saw off competition from Pritchard, from Usk, south Wales; Cardiff-based dance group DCD Seniors; camp comedy dance trio Dreambears, from London; guitarist Martin Matcham, from Dover, Kent; family singing group Good Evans, from Coventry; and Cornish juggler Luke Clements.
