Ronan Parke shot to stardom on season five of Britain's Got Talent.
The talented musician was just 12 when he competed on the ITV programme in 2011. Ronan wowed judges with his stunning rendition of Feeling Good by Nina Simone. Simon Cowell gave the youngster a standing ovation and Louis Walsh predicted a bright future - as MIrror Online reports.
He surged into the final and was the firm favourite to be crowned winner of the series to book his spot on the line-up of the prestigious Royal Variety Performance. However, there was a major upset as Ronan was pipped to top spot by Jai McDowall.
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Ronan's time on the show was rocked by unfounded allegations when someone claiming to work for Simon's company Syco published a blog suggesting the competition was "fixed" for Ronan to win. The blogger claimed to be a Sony Music staff member - and alleged Ronan’s "development" had been manipulated and that his hairstyle, clothing and mannerisms have all been choreographed.
Simon hit back at the claim and called in the police to investigate the smear. He said: "There has been an allegation made on the internet that Ronan Parke had a previous recording contract with my record label and that I’d met him beforehand. Both are complete and utter lies.
"The first time I met Ronan was on this show. He entered the show of his own accord. He's just 12 years old and this is a deliberate smear campaign.
"It is my job to make sure this liar is exposed and this kid is treated in the same way as everyone else. The public are going to decide this competition."
A spokesperson for the show branded the allegations as "sickening". They said: "A 12-year-old boy hoping to fulfil his dreams is being viciously attacked by someone who won’t even reveal his name. Simon wants this liar found. There are lots of people in the industry who are very jealous of Simon’s success."
Ronan blasted the "silly" allegations and BGT said they would not tolerate "unfounded claims" about the show. Speaking to ITV News, Ronan said: "I have not been coached by anyone to do with Simon. I have never met Simon in my life. I'd love to, but I never have."
He added: "I have been coached by a singing teacher in Norwich that we pay for. No one's paid for our clothes or anything. It's really silly." A month later, the blogger who made the allegations was cautioned by police and he issued a public apology for his actions.
The unnamed man, who has bipolar disorder, said: "I am ashamed to admit to being the perpetrator of the recent Britain’s Got Talent ‘fix’ crisis. I would like to offer my sincerest and unreserved apologies for all the distress and hurt I’ve caused, in particular to Ronan."
Ronan put the claims behind him and his career has gone from strength-to-strength. He signed a record deal with Syco after the show and he released his self-titled debut album in October 2011.
It only peaked at number 22 in the charts and he was reportedly dropped from the label after less than a year. However, a spokesperson for Ronan told Metro that the singer was the one that made the decision after wanting to go in a "different direction". His second album titled 'Found My Way' was released in 2018 and he also played the title role in a theatre production of Aladdin in 2017.
Away from his singing career, Ronan is openly gay and spoke about his sexuality in an interview with Attitude Magazine back in 2019. He said: "I remember trying to come out to my parents: I was young - I can’t remember how old I was, around 7 or 8 - and I went downstairs to the lounge and stood in front of the TV and got the remote and went ‘Mummy, daddy, I have something to tell you!’
"And they just went ‘Yeah, yeah, we know, you’re gay’, and they just got the remote and unmuted the TV! I was like [dramatic gasp], ‘What?! But they just always knew. And after that, I just never had to [come out] to my friends. But I’ve always identified as a gay man and I’ve always been very proud to say it."
Britain's Got Talent final airs tonight at 7.30pm on ITV and the ITV Hub
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