THROUGHOUT its run, Britain's Got Talent has produced some of the most talented and adorable child stars in talent show history.
Many of them went on to capture the hearts of the nation and deliver some unforgettable performances.
As there's no age restriction for BGT, the beloved series has become a launchpad for those looking for success at a young age.
The popular show made a return last weekend with a new batch of child stars including Ugandan dancers Ghetto Kids, who received a golden buzzer.
Here we take a look at the show's most iconic younger stars and check out what they're up to now…
Connie Talbot
Connie Talbot won over the nation's hearts when she appeared on the first series of Britain’s Got Talent back in 2007 – at the tender age of six.
She made it all the way to the final and sang Somewhere Over The Rainbow but missed out on the prize to Paul Potts.
A year after appearing on BGT, she released Connie Talbot's Christmas Album, which she recorded in her bedroom studio.
In 2012 she released her fourth album Beautiful World under Hong Kong based label Evosound – it reached number one in the Taiwan charts.
Two years later she opened a special concert to celebrate South Korea hosting the G20 summit.
Then in 2019, the 22-year-old took to the BGT: The Champions stage to sing an original song but despite getting rave comments from the judges, she didn't make it through to the finals.
The following year, she took part in America's Got Talent: The Champions, but was eliminated early on in the competition.
She is still pursuing a music career and recently released an EP called Growing Pains.
George Sampson
George Sampson, 26, is a street dancer who found fame and success after winning Britain's Got Talent in 2008.
Since his appearance on BGT, George has branched out into acting and also released his own single Get Up On The Dance Floor/Headz Up in 2008 with Syco.
After performing in West End show Into The Hoods, he landed a role in Waterloo Road, as Kyle, in 2011, before joining Emmerdale in 2016 as Ryan.
He's also had minor roles in Mount Pleasant and Casualty, as well as presenting CBBC's Friday Download. Then in 2010 and 2012 he appeared in 3D movies Streetdance and Streetdance 2.
In April 2017, George had a £9,000 hair transplant procedure to get rid of a bald patch on his head, which was caused by all the spinning he does on his head during break-dancing routines.
George took his own mother to court in 2016 after she refused to leave the Warrington house he bought with his Britain's Got Talent winnings. In May 2017 he joined the cast of Madness musical Our House as Reecey.
Like Connie, he also took part in Britain's Got Talent: The Champions but didn't make it to the final.
Ronan Parke
Ronan Parke tugged at the heartstrings when he sang his heart out to Feeling Good aged 12 in 2011's instalment of BGT.
At the time, he narrowly missed out on winning the competition, ending up in second place.
The fresh-faced singer was still snapped up by Simon Cowell’s label, but like many talent show acts before him, he was sadly dropped after a year.
Since leaving the show he released his debut album called Ronan Parke and went on to do a number of performances around the UK.
He left his record labels the following year, and later that year released a new single, We Are Shooting Stars.
He has also collaborated with fellow Britain’s Got Talent contestant Luciel Johns, and released a further few singles in 2014.
Ronan even tried his hands at acting and starred in a production of Aladdin.
In 2019, he spoke about his sexuality and recalled how his parents always knew he was gay.
He created a YouTube channel in 2020, which he updated with music covers and vlogs to his 187,000 followers.
These days, he often shows his fashionable side by posting pictures of himself on Instagram in chic outfits at incredible holiday destinations.
The 24-year-old is now believed to be working at a top London restaurant after being papped in his uniform.
Ronan, who has amassed over 50 thousand followers on Instagram, was seen wearing a tailored suit working at Scott's restaurant in Mayfair.
Lagi Andreas
In 2009, Michalakis 'Lagi' Andreas shot to fame when he auditioned alongside his father as the duo Stavros Flatley at the age of 13.
They finished fourth behind Susan Boyle and the eventual winner, dance group Diversity.
Following their stint on the show, they appeared on ITV's Sugar Free Farm, where celebrity contestants were challenged to take on a sugar-free diet.
Now 27, he married his wife Annika in 2022 in a lavish ceremony in Cyprus – that same year, they welcomed their first child, a daughter called Xenia.
Hollie Steel
In 2009, Hollie Steel delivered an unforgettable performance on Britain’s Got Talent – which saw her breaking down in floods of tears midway through her semi-final song.
Despite boasting plenty of vocal promise, it was the 10-year-old’s onstage collapse on the show that will always stick in the mind.
Nerves got the better of her during her rendition of Edelweiss, causing her to flee the stage in pieces.
However, she bravely returned for a second attempt – and the judges voted her through to the final, eventually finishing sixth in the competition.
Hollie capitalised on her BGT fame. She and her family launched their own label, BB5 Records, and put out her debut self-titled album in 2010.
She followed that up with a Christmas album in 2011 and her second collection, Children On The Titanic, in 2012.
In 2011, she was also cast in the role of Louisa von Trapp in Andrew Lloyd Webber's UK tour of The Sound Of Music, performing in the show across the country from May to October.
Today a 24-year-old Hollie continues to act and sing, uploading regular song covers to her channel – she played the role of Frenchy from Grease in the Caribbean from 2018 until last summer.
Jack Carroll
In 2010, at the age of 12, Jack caught the eye of comedian Jason Manford when he saw a video of him performing at his parents' wedding anniversary and asked him to perform at one of his shows.
Two years later, the teen won a Pride of Britain award in 2012 before he wowed judges with his comedy act a year later.
Jack, who has cerebral palsy, has continued to do stand-up since being on BGT and also is enjoying a successful career as an actor.
The funnyman has appeared in two series of the CBBC Channel show Ministry of Curious Stuff and also Sky One series Trollied.
He took his show Jack Carroll And Friends to the Edinburgh Fringe 2019.
The 24-year-old made his movie debut with the critically acclaimed 2019 comedy film, Eaten By Lions.
Since then, Jack has also made appearances in Father Brown and Doctors.
He also competed in Britain's Got Talent: The Champions but was eliminated.
Shaheen Jafargholi
Welsh native Shaheen Jafargholi left the BGT audience in awe after he delivered a powerful version of Michael Jackson's Who's Loving You during his audition in 2009.
The schoolboy was lauded with praise from around the world so much so that Shaheen was asked to perform at Michael Jackson's funeral when he was just 12.
Following his appearance on the show, Shaheen recorded an album and turned his attention to acting with a cameo in Torchwood and Grandpa in My Pocket.
In 2016, he joined the cast of EastEnders as Carmel Kazemi's (Bonnie Langford) son, Shakil, and in August 2018 it was announced he'd joined Casualty as nurse Marty Kirkby.
He played the character until last month when he decided to bow out.
Charlie Wernham
Although he received a mixed bag of comments throughout his time on the show, Charlie Wernham made it to the semi-finals in 2008.
After his taste of fame, he began attending weekend classes at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and soon landed a role on an episode of The Inbetweeners.
He soon got a role in E4's School of Comedy before becoming a regular in Bad Education alongside Jack Whitehall.
Charlie, 28, even rose to co-lead the show with Layton Williams for its fourth season and played Aaron Monroe on EastEnders for 36 episodes.
Aidan Davis
Aidan Davis starred in the third series of the ITV talent show back in 2009.
Back then, aged just 11 and sporting a bright blue hoodie, he impressed judges with his fancy footwork to Flo Rida’s Low.
While Amanda Holden said he “blew her away,”, Simon Cowell added: “I think you’re better than any dancer on this show, you are super, super, super talented.”
Yet the dance star – who claimed he never had professional training – was caught up in a highly talented bunch and battled it out in a series which included singing sensation Susan Boyle and fellow dancers Diversity, who went on to take the title.
He then joined the lads on their Diversitoys tour as well as teaming up with the crew on the official BGT tour.
Aidan also released a self-written and produced EP in 2015.
Since then Aiden continues to dance and has a fondness for showing off his ripped muscles in shirtless selfies on social media.
Last week, Aidan thrilled fans when he revealed that he had just become a dad with his partner Courtney Burley.
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