A schoolboy magician has left Britain's Got Talent judges Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon in a state after his inspirational and heartwarming performance in the opening episode of the ITV talent show. 13-year-old Cillian O'Connor from Ireland performed a series of magic tricks which saw Simon Cowell describe the teen as "unbelievably talented" and the audience give him a standing ovation.
The reaction saw Cillian tear up and cheer while dancing around the stage as Bruno Tonioli shouted: "Why am I crying?" Simon added that Cillian's magic card trick "freaked him out" and the head judge added: "There's something really, really incredible about you and you're such an amazing performer."
Amanda Holden said: "You've made me and Alesha a mess. You were amazing. I mean absolutely phenomenal. I'm really glad magic has given you confidence." Alesha added it was clear that appearing on the show meant so much to he performer who was open in his act about how he struggled with social situations before finding his skills.
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During his act Cillian said: "If I can make them believe in magic and perform at the Royal Variety Show I will genuinely cry – honestly. Before magic, my social skills were very bad, I would just be in the corner and I didn’t want to be within 50 feet of anyone. When I was younger I was unable to interact with people, I felt incomplete, I felt invisible. After discovering magic, it felt like my life changed, it felt like a lightbulb coming on inside my head and I found a way to interact with people through my magic."
Cillian burst into tears after being given four yeses by the panel. Britain's Got Talent returned on Saturday, April 15 on ITV at 8pm, and also airs on Sunday, April 16. It then returns the following weekend on April 22. For the latest TV and showbiz news sign up to our newsletter here.
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