A young dancer overcame years of homophobic bullying to pursue his passions and become the rising star of the Britain's Got Talent stage.
Adam Behn, 11, from Runcorn, forms one fifth of the 5 Star Boys dance group, whose incredible moves saw them through to the final of this year's BGT competition. Their final performance, to David Bowie's "Heroes", was inspired by how they supported one another through tough times, as they had faced hurtful remarks from their peers over their love of dance.
While Adam and his friends did not win the talent show (losing the top spot to comedian Axel Blake), their determination to beat the bullies and follow their dreams has now been celebrated, as they have each been awarded special silver Blue Peter badges.
READ MORE: BGT's Susan Boyle now - £22m fortune, revamped council house and love life
Adam's mum Kimberley, 31, said: "Whenever there was music playing we'd be sure to find Adam dancing, so we thought we'd enroll him in a dance school, and he just took to it like a duck to water. It was like second nature. As soon as he started, it just took off.
"I think because he can express himself through dance, it became a safe space for him. He was quite badly bullied at school, a few of the 5 Star Boys were. When he dances, he feels at home, surrounded by like-minded people, and he loves to express himself that way.
"He suffered badly with bullying for about four years. It was quite brutal at times. He was called homophobic slurs because he danced. He didn't really socialise with any other kids in school. There was a point where he was so upset he said he couldn't take it anymore and he didn't want to live. It breaks your heart as a parent.
"He did take it really hard, but he has this nature where he will keep pushing through. It made him even more determined to carry on doing what he loves."
Adam and the rest of the 5 Star Boys - Beau, Toby-Jay, Joey and Ollie - appeared on Blue Peter on CBBC on Friday, October 14, when they performed a dance to "Waving Through A Window" from the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen.
The group's dance style of choice is lyrical jazz - but Adam, who practiced at the Arabella Dance Academy in Widnes, is also experienced in ballet, tap, and street dance.
After meeting Beau, Toby-Jay, Joey and Ollie at a dance event in Birmingham in 2020, they decided to form the 5 Star Boys to promote the message that boys can dance too.
Kimberley said: "I think Britain's Got Talent definitely helped remove some of the stigma he faced. We had a lot of people reaching out who said they had been pushed out of their comfort zone, or people who were doing things like gym and MMA starting ballet.
"We always wanted to send that message but we were surprised by how successful it was. I'm incredibly proud of him, after the adversity he has faced, I'm over the moon. I couldn't be more proud of him and what he has achieved."
READ NEXT
Woman found living in hedge for three years so cat wouldn't be alone
Curtis Warren 'banned from WhatsApp' when released from prison next month
Paedophile who filmed half-naked young girl on phone spared jail
Woman 'spat at' for being ginger crowned Miss England
Teacher banned after texting child 'I miss you' and buying him gifts
