Name George Sampson

The 15-year-old schoolboy breakdancer stole the nation’s hearts when he won the 2008 series of Britain’s Got Talent

Birth name George William Sampson

Date of birth 29 June 1993

Star sign Cancer

Birthplace Warrington, Cheshire, UK

Height 5ft 3in (and growing fast)

Eye colour Blue

Marriages None

Children None

Biography
Schoolboy George Sampson shot to fame in the UK when, aged just 14, he was crowned winner of the 2008 series of Britain’s Got Talent.

Born in Warrington, Cheshire, George’s parents, Brian and Lesley, split up when he was 10 and, with money short in the family, he had to dance on the streets of his home town to raise the funds to travel to London for auditions for the ITV1 talent show.

In 2007, George took part in auditions for the first round of the show, but, despite judge Simon Cowell rooting for him, he failed to make the semi-final stage.

But the following year his breakdancing performance to Mint Royale’s remix of Singin’ In The Rain, complete with an artificial rain machine onstage, wowed the judges and a TV audience of 13.1 million viewers, winning George £100,000 as well as the opportunity to appear at the Royal Variety Performance in December 2008.

George’s performance was all the more remarkable given the fact that he suffers from Scheuermann’s disease, which causes curvature of the spine. The rare disorder also left him blind in his right eye for two months from Christmas 2007.

In June 2008 it was announced that George was to be the face of a new NatWest bank account for 11-18-year-olds in a deal reportedly worth £1 million and the following August he appeared in the West End show Into The Hoods.

George Sampson Quotes
‘I’m gonna pay my mum’s mortgage of 50 grand – she doesn’t want me to but I am.’ (BBC News Channel, 3 June 2008)

(On the temporary loss of his eyesight)
‘There were a few times when I panicked that my eyesight wouldn’t come back. I did get really down.’ (The Sun, 2 June 2008)

‘Kids called me a beggar for busking. I’ve also been called poof, faggot, queer, little girl. But now I just think, “I’m the one on TV, not you.’’’ (The Sun, 2 June 2008)

‘All I really want to buy is one of those cool, old VW camper vans, so I can go busking around the country.’ (The Sun, 2 June 2008)