Amanda made my singing dreams come true
Olivia’s surprise invite to BGT audition
OLIVIA Lynes has dreamt of performing on the West End stage for as long as she can remember.
So when the 11-year-old travelled to London’s Cambridge Theatre to see Matilda The Musical, she knew it would be a magical experience.
But nothing could have prepared her for what happened at the box office before the curtain went up.
Her mum Melissa had sent her daughter’s audition tapes to Britain’s Got Talent. And judge Amanda Holden was waiting at the theatre to invite Olivia to audition on the ITV hit show.
Olivia said: “She appeared from nowhere. I was so surprised. I felt so emotional. It was amazing.
“She was just like Miss Honey [the kind teacher who rescues young Matilda in the musical]. She was so beautiful.
“I can’t remember everything she said because I was so excited. I ran up to her and hugged her really tightly. When she asked if I would audition on BGT I said of course I would!”
Olivia’s surprise encounter happened back in January and the audition took place the next day where she sang Defying Gravity from musical Wicked!
Melissa, 29, and Olivia’s gran Sarah, 50, provided support in the wings. Laundry worker dad Paul, 30, watched from out front.
And remarkably, Olivia was unafraid. “It was just natural,” she said. “I am very lucky. My family love me and support me.”
The hardest part for Olivia was not telling her friends from school about her BGT audition – which is broadcast tonight.
She said: “It was so difficult but I actually wanted to keep it a surprise. That will be better. Like it was when Amanda surprised me.” Being a singer is all Olivia, from Bath, Somerset, has ever wanted. From performing word-and-note-perfect nursery rhymes at two she moved on to belting out the songs from Frozen and then Celine Dion ballads.
Recalling their extraordinary night at Matilda, postal worker Melissa said: “Olivia kept asking ‘Mummy, did that really, really happen?’ It was always her dream to go on telly and sing one day.”
Melissa doesn’t know where her daughter gets her enormous talent from.
Singing to herself on her mail rounds or while she’s in the shower is as musical as Melissa gets.
She said: “At two Olivia could hear a song a couple of times and pick it up perfectly. It was incredible at such a young age. When she was two she told me she wanted to be a singer so we took her to lessons.”
Every Saturday night Melissa, Paul, Olivia and brother Hugo, seven, would get comfy in front of the TV to watch the X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent. Olivia was always spellbound. “She was just fascinated by the contestants and the glamorous judges,” said Melissa. “All that talent.”
Over the years, Olivia’s singing teacher became one of her biggest fans. She told Melissa: “I really think Olivia has something – you should give her a shot.”
Then the pair learned there was an opportunity to audition on Britain’s Got Talent and they started plotting.
A video of Olivia performing was assembled and sent to the show’s production team who then told Melissa of the plan for Amanda to surprise her.
Melissa said: “I thought, you only live once. You never know what can happen.”
■ Britain’s Got Talent is on tonight at 8pm, ITV1 and ITVX
Olivia kept asking me ‘Mummy.. did that really, really happen’
MELISSA LYNES ON HER DAUGHTER’S BIG SURPRISE