BGT star who went viral in emotional moment quits job for new challenge
Britain's Got Talent star Reuben Gray rose to fame on the contest in 2017 with an emotional original song written for his then-girlfriend
Former Britain's Got Talent star Reuben Gray, who shot to fame in 2017 in an emotional audition, has picked up a new challenge that will raise money for charity. The talented Reuben was only 16 years old when he auditioned for BGT, with him leaving the audience in tears when his father surprised him in the crowd after telling him he couldn't make it to the show.
During the audition, he shocked the room by performing an original song he wrote about his then-girlfriend, which earned a standing ovation from all four judges. Years later, at 24, Reuben and pal Matt Brinkley, also 24, decided to ditch their jobs to go on an 801-mile trek from London to Val Thorens in France.
The two men are hoping to raise £35,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support and Snow Camp, which helps young people through snow sports.
Whilst on the 45-day trek, they're using the opportunity to promote their new application made to make adventure planning easy.
Speaking about the dangers of the journey, he said: "My cousin's a doctor, and he said we have a possibility of breaking our legs or having shin splints, we have a possibility of a hairline fracture, that sort of stuff on our on our legs. We have a possibility of ending up with sort of gangrene."
However, the two are determined to complete the trek. Reuben added to MailOnline: "It's about smiling through the pain and about having a good time.
"Even though it might suck I'm still doing it with my best friend. I'm doing it for something bigger than just myself only."
In Reuben's audition in 2017, he revealed to the cameras his father couldn't be there to support him as he was in the army and overseas. "If I do well, I'll just give him a call," Reuben said.
However, Reuben was completely unaware his dad was actually sitting in the audience waiting to surprise him. When Simon Cowell asked him who was his biggest supporter, Reuben said: "My dad."
Simon asked: "What, more than your mum?" and Reuben's dad quickly got up to proudly yell out: "Yes I am!" The star was in shock as he looked to where the voice was coming from.
"I didn't think he was here! I thought he was working!" Reuben excitedly admitted before he started crying. "He works away from home a lot. Whenever I play anywhere, he'll always come."
The audition clip went viral and gained over 24 million views on BGT's official YouTube channel.
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X Factor star Lucy Spraggan shares her incredible body transformation leaving viewers amazed 15 Lucy hopes her friends Simon and his fiancée Lauren finally tie the knot - if they ever find the time Credit: Splash 15 Lucy says Simon's 11-year-old son Eric is a chip off the old block Credit: Alamy 15 Simon dressed as a priest for Lucy's birthday party Credit: Instagram 'Eric actually gave me advice for the drums for this album,' she reveals. 'He's like a mini Simon. He's very funny. He's very, very smart and he knows exactly what he wants that kid.' Lucy was previously married to Georgina Gordon, and the pair were open about wanting to start a family together before they split in 2019. They even fostered 12 children during their six-year marriage. But despite her past and close relationship with Simon's lad, the singer says children are not in her future with Emilia. 'I don't want kids,' she tells us. 'All of my friends that had kids are like, 'Luce - don't do it. I love them, but don't!' 'Em has some health issues herself. And, like, I do music and I do my job so that I can experience peace in between. "I feel like I couldn't give what I need to give to my career if I had a child, and I wouldn't have any f*****g peace If I had a child. It's dogs, dogs for me.' Traumatic ordeal 15 Lucy, pictured performing at Kew The Music Festival last year Credit: Splash 15 Lucy is happily married to her second wife Emilia Smith Credit: Instagram 15 Lucy was assaulted after a night out for fellow X Factor contestant Rylan Clark's birthday while they were competing on the show Credit: Getty Lucy and Simon's surprising friendship blossomed in 2021, under less than happy circumstances. She was writing her memoir Process: Finding My Way Through - which dealt with the traumatic sexual assault she experienced while competing on The X Factor in 2012. Lucy was one of the favourites to win her series before she mysteriously dropped out of the competition during the live finals. At the time it was reported the then 20-year-old had quit due to illness, and while she went on to have some success as an artist, the question over what had really thwarted her X Factor journey was never fully answered. Then, two years ago, she opened up for the first time that she'd been a victim of a shocking sexual assault - bravely waiving her right to anonymity in the process. She'd been out celebrating friend and fellow X Factor contestant Rylan Clark's birthday at swanky Mayfair nightclub Mahiki, and passed out after hours of boozing. Lucy was taken back to her hotel by a member of the X Factor production team and a hotel porter - but later that night, after Rylan had gone to check on her, the porter returned and used a key card to break into her room. The next day Lucy woke up feeling a 'sense of sheer dread'. She knew she'd been raped, but couldn't piece the rest of the night together. In the aftermath the police were called and the hotel porter was arrested. He was later jailed for 10 years, but was released and deported after three-and-a-half years. No one ever contacted me to ask if I was OK... No one offered me rehabilitation or ongoing mental health treatment. I was on my own Lucy Spraggan Traumatised Lucy was subsequently forced to quit the show after the side-effects of PrEP - a drug she took after the assault that helps prevent HIV - made her too unwell to continue. 'No one ever contacted me to ask if I was OK," she wrote in her book. "No one offered me rehabilitation or ongoing mental health treatment. I was on my own.' Simon, who didn't appear on her series, had no idea what Lucy had been through and only heard about it when she reached out to his production company Syco while writing her book. He called her immediately, and much to her surprise, he apologised, and the pair became friends. Since opening up about the traumatic incident, Lucy says she's reached a whole new level of peace. 'It's been amazing,' she says. 'I always felt quite misunderstood. And it always felt quite unfair when people would say, 'Oh, you just dropped off…where did you go?' Or, 'Oh, you must have had a bad hangover!' 'People said stuff like that when they didn't really know what happened. So, it was kind of nice to right those injustices, and also just find peace within it.' Self-preservation 15 She's credited Rylan Clark for being one of the few people on The X Factor who supported her in the wake of her attack Credit: Getty 15 She says she and Emilia don't want kids, and prefer hanging out with their dog, Steven Credit: Instagram/lspraggan Since sharing her ordeal Lucy says she's been touched, and saddened, by the number of people who relate to her experience - but has had to set some firm boundaries for the sake of her own mental health. 'I actually say at the end of my book that, as much of an honour it is for people to feel comfortable enough to want to approach me and tell me their story, I'm actually asking them not to,' she admits. 'Because people have been able to make the choice to read about my experience and absorb it, but I don't have a choice when someone approaches me. 'So, I ask instead that, if people want to share with me what they've been through, they give me a fist bump, and I'll tell them how proud of them I am. As much of an honour it is for people to feel comfortable enough to want to approach me and tell me their story, I'm actually asking them not to Lucy Spraggan 'And I s**t you not, on a daily basis, people come up to me and give me a fist bump.' The singer has been through the gamut of personal challenges since her X Factor experience: substance abuse, alcoholism and incredibly low self worth. She's now six years sober, and has been on a serious fitness journey, training in mixed martial arts and recently earning her blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. "I actually feel like every single woman should investigate violence," she says, explaining how training makes her feel strong after feeling weak and vulnerable in the past. "Jiu-Jitsu is amazing because it really doesn't matter the size of the person. If I'm rolling or grappling with a hundred-kilo man, I can submit that man. That's really empowering." 'Failure of fame' Lucy has also dedicated a lot of time and effort towards campaigning for better care and protection on reality TV shows. In her view the industry preys on and exploits potentially vulnerable people and doesn't do its job to protect against the harshness and pressures of life in the public eye. Liam Payne's tragic death last October hit her deeply. As a fellow former X Factor contestant, she knows all too well the "feeding frenzy" he was submitted to from such a young age. While Lucy got a taste of that all-encompassing fame, she says she can't imagine the goldfish bowl existence of being in One Direction. 'I just felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness for him and his family,' she says. 'And, once again, it's [pointed to] a failure of fame. I just felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness for Liam and his family... once again, it's a failure of fame 'Rather than it being about an institution, it's about being famous. You know, the most famous I ever was, was on The X Factor. 'I have a really comfortable level of fame now - it's great where I'm at. But in those moments back then, it was traumatising.' Lucy adds that it's a pattern in showbiz that shows no signs of stopping. 'We don't learn lessons about the fragility of people, especially artists,' she says. 'They're the most sensitive set of people in the world, creatives. And I feel like we have a really weird relationship with [famous people]. 'Ultimately the public really likes watching somebody's demise.' Fear of going out 15 Lucy went sober in 2019, and has been on a serious health kick ever since Credit: Instagram/LucySpraggan Lucy's own mental health recovery is a work in progress. Having suffered from PTSD in the wake of her attack, she struggled going to new places - especially hotels. These days, she says, the trauma can still take her by surprise. 'I won't say I don't still run into moments like that,' she reflects. 'I did a lot of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) therapy, which is intense and it really helped. "And I highly recommend that for anybody who has been through significant traumatic events.' Having worked so hard on herself, now seemed like the best time to record and release her latest album, Other Sides of the Moon. As well as new songs, it features re-imagined renditions of some of her biggest hits, including fan favourite Tea & Toast. She tells us it's been a 'cathartic' experience - even though she hates the word. "I feel like, during a lot of my earlier career and life, I just felt really uncomfortable," Lucy admits. 'I didn't ever feel like I belonged in the music industry. I didn't really like where my voice sat. I didn't feel very comfortable. So now I get to live all that out again but feeling comfortable.' Lucy - who heads out on tour in November - reveals one of her favourite songs on the album is a duet with Robbie Williams, called Sober. The pair bonded immediately and even share a surprising hobby - metal detecting. 'The other day I was out with a guy who told me Robbie likes metal detecting as well,' Lucy tells us. 'And so I texted him and was like, 'No f*****g way!' It was so good. 15 She and Robbie Williams share a love for music... and metal detecting Credit: Instagram 15 Lucy putting her hobby to good use as a celebrity endorser for Minelab Metal Detectors Credit: Instagram/lspraggan
