Ronan Parke was just 12-years-old when he shot to fame on Britain's Got Talent.
Looking like a mini Justin Bieber, the youngster had the judges standing on their feet when he perfomed a sensational rendition of 'Feeling Good' by Nina Simone.
Michael McIntyre joked that the lad didn't need to go back to school, while stand-in judge Louis Walsh said he was predicting really big things for the child star.
However, scandal erupted before the semi-final when someone claiming to work for Simon Cowell's company Syco published a blog suggesting the competition was 'fixed' for Ronan to win.
The blogger, who claimed to be a Sony Music staff member, alleged Ronan’s "development" had been manipulated and that his hairstyle, clothing and mannerisms have all been choreographed.
The BGT supremo called in police over claims on the blog that Ronan had been "groomed" to win and labelled it a "smear campaign" against the talented singer.
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"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 before hand. Both are complete and utter lies," said Simon.
"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 BGT source said: "It’s sickening. 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 himself 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 alleged BGTwas fixed in favour of Ronan was been cautioned by police and he posted another blog apologising after the warning.
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.2
Thankfully, Ronan put the drama behind him and went sailing through to the final after singing Adele's 'Make You Feel My Love'.
In the live final he sang 'Because of You' by Kelly Clarkson, with Simon telling him 'this is a big song, and you nailed it', and David Hasselhoff describing the act as 'perfect'.
Ronan was firm favourite to win but in a shock result he was beaten by fellow singer Jai McDowall.
Despite not winning, he was signed by Simon's Syco label in a joint contract with Sony and his self-titled debut album was released in October 2011.
A Syco statement confirmed: "The deal allows Ronan to have Syco's involvement while signing with the Sony team that most suits his musical direction. Simon will remain completely involved."
But 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 Parke has 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.
Ronan, who is still perfomring, spoke about his sexuality in an interbiew with Attitude Magazine back in 2019.
The teenager said he was encouraged to hide his homosexuality from the public eye while he was on BGT due to him having a large number of female fans.
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."
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