Britain’s Got Talent star Jessica Hobson, who starred on the show back in 2011 and was brought to tears in front of judge Simon Cowell, looks a far cry from her days on stage
Jessica Hobson had her life changed overnight back in 2011 when she reached the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent at just nineteen years old. Known on the show for her curly brunette locks and vibrant fashion sense, the singer and pianist looks a far cry from her days on the show now she’s in her thirties.
The singer, who is still pursuing a career in music, has moved from her home town of Sheffield to London and lives with her partner Josh. Jessica boasts just over one thousand followers on Instagram, where her last post was made in 2021. And appearing to have dipped her toe in the world of acting alongside music, Jessica’s bio describes her as a ‘singer/actress’.
On Britain’s Got Talent, she made quite the impression during the show’s live semi-final as Simon Cowell had some harsh truths for her following the teen’s performance. Criticising her song choice, Simon slammed her performance as “dated” and her outfit choice “silly”.
Bursting into tears following the scathing comments from Simon, Jessica insisted she wasn’t the one behind her song choice, but production had chosen. “I didn’t choose what I wanted to sing, apparently it was somebody,” she began, before her mic was cut off.
She was then booted out of the competition, but didn’t give up on a career in music as she auditioned for the X Factor just one year later, before being sent home during the Boot Camp stage. She also auditioned for The Voice UK twice, and while she was unsuccessful the first time, she was chosen by Will.I.Am during her second attempt but was later eliminated from the show.
Jessica isn’t the only Britain’s Got Talent star to have come a long way since the show, as Jonathan Antoine – who appeared in the competition a year after Jessica – recently had a notable transformation. Jonathan, who was only 17 when he appeared on the 2012 show with his singing partner Charlotte Jaconelli, has lost a remarkable amount of weight after making big changes to his lifestyle and eating habits.
He admitted that he previously “lacked discipline,” but he now says: “I’ve still got a lot to lose but I’m making my way. I feel stronger and healthier than I have in 10 years, which is a lot. This year I’ve made an active choice. I’ve felt I’ve lacked the discipline a lot. When I was out in America its fast food everywhere. I was in a terrible state in the start of the year and I’ve been able to claw my way back doing light exercise.”
“I’m a very big fella so heavy exercise would just tear me up. I’m working my way up, thinking about what I eat because that is important.”