ITV’s hit show Britain’s Got Talent has lost another shining star. Chantel Bellew was just 34 years old when she died, with her mother calling her a “ray of sunshine”
Britain’s Got Talent has changed the lives of many of its contestants, with some performers providing bags of laughs and others showing off serious skills. But while the TV contest has brought joy to millions of viewers over the years, we have lost several of its stars along the way too.
The latest is hopeful Chantel Bellew, the 2019 BGT contestant who taught Strictly judge Anton Du Beke how to tap dance. Chantel was just 34 when she died in hospital from a suspected overdose, weeks after her birthday.
Her mother Jill Dawson told The Mirror her daughter “couldn’t handle life” when her career died during lockdown and suffered a devastating breakdown before her death.
READ MORE: Tragic BGT star Chantel Bellew’s devastating breakdown and downward spiral before death
Describing Chantel as a “ray of sunshine” and the “brightest star in the sky”, she said: “Chantel did the celebrity cruises all over the world and was also teaching dance but it came to an end during lockdown. It affected all the performers. There was a decline in her just before lockdown but it got much worse during lockdown.
“When her career died she couldn’t handle life and had a breakdown. She went for help but there was not the support afterwards. She wasn’t a girl to work in a shop. I told her how to be a barmaid and told her to act like she was on stage.
“Chantel was taken to Bolton hospital last Monday and was blue-lighted to St James in Leeds but on Friday I was told she wasn’t going to make it and she passed away.”
Sadly, there are several more BGT contestants who have died over the years, including a much-loved musician and a famous granny rapper. We take a look back…
Jack Saunders
Jack was a member of five-piece dance troupe Green Force Five, who made it to the semi-finals in 2019 before withdrawing from the show due to his untimely death. The talented contestant took his own life at the age of 25 that March. Jack had been a successful dancer before BGT, performing at the London Olympics aged just 18 and reaching the Got to Dance finals with Unity UK.
“I want people to know this can happen to any family,” said Jack’s heartbroken mum Sandra from Uxbridge, West London. “There is no stereotype – it doesn’t have to be a manic depressive who has shown signs of mental health problems. Jack was a kind soul. He worried about everyone else, always focused on others to make sure they were OK. he was the shoulder you cried on.”
Norma Clarke
Norma was BGT’s famous granny rapper who took to the stage in 2007 dressed in a hoodie and baseball cap. The Birmingham contestant performed self-penned tune Sam The Rapper, wowing judges Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden and eventually winning over Simon Cowell, making it through to boot camp.
In August 2019, the great-grandmother died in hospital following a long illness, aged 81. Her daughter Amanda said: “She was such a character and many people remembered her for her appearance as a rapper on Britain’s Got talent. She entered as she wanted to win the £100,000 prize money to pay for a new community centre for young people on her estate.”
Simonne Kerr
Simonne was part of NHS choir B Positive, a 60-strong group made up of staff, donors, and patients from NHS Blood and Transplant, who made it to the BGT finals in 2018 thanks to their moving performances. She worked as a haematology and oncology nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in South London, and in 2015 lost her son Kavele at the age of six to sickle cell disease.
Simonne, 32, was knifed to death in August 2018 by on-off partner Desmond Sylva. He slashed her throat and stabbed her more than 70 times. In July 2019, he was jailed for life for her murder at the Old Bailey. The nurse’s colleagues paid tearful tributes to their pal, calling her ‘one in a million’. “She was so funny, she was so smart and she was so, so strong.”
Paula Moulton
Paula appeared on the show in 2012 as part of dance troupe Strictly Wheels, performing with friend Gary Lyness. She had contracted MRSA in hospital with pneumonia, which left her with damage to her pelvis, lower spine, femur and hips. The talented pair reached the semi-finals with their version of Alicia Keys’ Empire State of Mind and in 2016 they competed for Para Dance Sport Team GB. Strictly Wheels became a charity the same year, aiming to raise the profile of wheelchair dancing in the UK.
Last June, the Manchester dancer died unexpectedly in hospital at the age of 52. “Paula always focused on the positive things in life, her disability was never a barrier,” said Gary in tribute to his dance partner. “She should be remembered for all the positivity she brought into the many lives she touched. Her passing will leave a huge hole in my personal and dance life and so many others in the wheelchair dance community.”
David Watson
Magician David from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, competed on the show a staggering 12 times. His first appearance was back in 2008 where he did impressions of politicians Tony Blair, William Hague, and David Blunkett and while it didn’t go well, he bounced back in 2010 with an Incredible Hulk performance deemed ‘bloody awful’ by judge Amanda Holden.
David became part and parcel of the BGT auditions, trying out every year since 2013 and saying: “I just love being on the show”. In 2020, he even made it through to the second round with his ‘magic rainbow’ act, which the judges called his best yet. The retired NHS worker was found dead at home in December 2021 after his worried family contacted the police when they couldn’t get hold of him. His death was not treated as suspicious. “He was always up for a laugh and such a good sport,” said Amanda. “We will miss him.”
Henry Hall
Henry was one half of singing duo The Pensionalities, reaching the finals of BGT in 2015 with pal Malcolm Sykes. The friends, who had grown up a few miles apart in the pit villages of north Doncaster, delighted viewers with their takes on Frank Sinatra classics including You Make Me Feel So Young and were compared to show hosts Ant and Dec by head judge Simon Cowell.
Henry died at home on April 28, 2017 aged 86. His obituary read: “In both life and death, Henry definitely did it ‘his way!’ He died peacefully at home, as he wished, with his family. He lived an extraordinary life and was known to a great many people as H from Cusworth’s Motorcycles and latterly half of The Pensionalities from Britain’s Got Talent. He was loved by many, forgotten by none and will be greatly missed by all.”
Robert Anker
Dance group Diversity took BGT by storm in 2009 and group member Robert ‘Rob’ Anker went onto appear on So You Think You Can Dance? and Strictly Come Dancing. The talented performer, who worked with Jessie J and Paloma Faith and appeared in Thriller Live in the West End, left his native Essex for a new life in Canada with his wife Cyndi when tragedy struck.
Less than a year later, in July 2017, Rob, 27, was killed in a road accident in Ontario when his car collided with a pick-up truck. The show dedicated that Friday evening’s performance to him, saying the dancer “had incredible talent, great personality and was very popular amongst many”.