That could be my last ever dance
BGT teenager reveals she needs $100k for surgery to cure her curved spine
EVERY contestant dreams of winning Britain’s Got Talent, but teenager Julia Carlile has more reason than most – because it will allow her to keep on dancing.
For the 15-year-old was born with curvature of the spine, or scoliosis, and is set to have surgery once her time on the show is over.
Because the procedure involves inserting titanium rods into the base of the spine, her movement will be restricted, which means her dancing career will almost certainly be over.
However, there is a glimmer of hope. A special operation available in America would allow Julia to continue performing – but she can afford it only if the group wins the talent contest and she gets her share of the £250,000 top prize.
So she and four friends who make up the dance troupe Just Us were ecstatic last night when judge Alesha Dixon sent them through to the semi-finals.
After the show, Julia said: ‘There is an operation called tethering surgery but it’s too expensive. After that you can actually dance, but we just couldn’t afford it. It costs around $100,000 and it’s in America. But if we won Britain’s Got Talent then I could possibly have it and then dance for the rest of my life.’
Just Us received a standing ovation from Alesha, her fellow judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and David Walliams, and the audience after they performed a daring routine to Fight Song by American singer Rachel Platten.
Before their performance, Julia told the judges: ‘After surgery I won’t be able to dance. So this is the last chance because I have always wanted to do it.’
Afterwards she admitted it had been difficult coming to terms with the thought of surgery.
‘The hardest part was finding out that I might not be able to dance because it’s all I want to do,’ she said. ‘Because my curve is so big, they want to put the titanium rods at the bottom of my back so there would be no movement in my spine. I do lots of splits and I wouldn’t be able to do them any more.
‘Just hearing you might not be able to do something you really love is quite hard.’
Before putting them through to the next round, Alesha said: ‘I have so much admiration for you girls. I could not imagine not being able to do the thing that I loved.’