Monday, 2 June 2008

• Prev
• Next

Britain's Got Talent winner George Sampson: I have a rare spine condition

Scheuermann’s disease left him blind in one eye

Britain's Got Talent winner George Sampson went blind in one eye last year

Britain’s Got Talent winner George Sampson has a spinal disability that could threaten his breakdancing career.

The teen has Scheuermann’s disease, a curvature of the spine that affects fast-growing adolescents.

And the condition left George, 14, blind in one eye for 2 months last year.

‘The eye was all inflamed,’ he explains. ‘The spinal nerves were trapped and it affected my optic nerves.

‘I lost all my coordination and it was really hard to dance, as I didn’t have my balance. I kept bumping into everything.

'There were a few times when I panicked that my eyesight wouldn't come back.'

Doctors have warned George, from Warrington, Cheshire, that he could end up crippled if he continues his rigorous dance routines.

But he has vowed to carry on after his emotional victory in Saturday’s final.

‘There’s no way I’d ever give up dancing,’ he tells The Sun. ‘Nothing would stop me.’

George scooped a £100,000 prize and will appear at the Royal Variety Performance in December.

See our amazing George Sampson photo gallery>>

Are you George Sampson's biggest fan? Try our Photo Quiz and find out>>

How well do you really know George Sampson? Try our Photo Quiz 2 for real fans>>

SEE VIDEO George Sampson win Britain's Got Talent...