Britain’s Got Talent winner Jon Courtenay has revealed he was secretly battling skin cancer during his time on the show.
A year ago, the comedy pianist, 48, was beginning the BGT audition process, unaware that he would go on to win the series.
He was also unaware that a mole on his head was cancerous.
Due to being so involved in the show, Jon put off getting his mole checked, not getting it seen until July 2020.
By this point, he’d made his debut on the series, but the show had been halted due to the COVID-19 crisis, unable to resume until the autumn.
He was diagnosed with melanoma only a few weeks before winning the show, telling The Sun: ‘Mentally it was agonising. The doctor’s face was so serious I thought I only had days to live.
‘I was being referred to a specialist immediately because there was a strong possibility it had spread to my lymph nodes.’
Jon – who is now a staunch supporter of Macmillan Cancer Support – had the mole removed in August, finding out ahead of the BGT semi-finals that it was indeed cancerous.
‘I was in so much fear about the future. I had panic attacks. But I was grateful to be busy with BGT,’ he said of his live performances, putting on a brave face throughout.
He went on to win the £250,000 in October and soon after had a dermal skin substitute.
The santa hat he wore on the BGT Christmas special covered the bandages.
He was given the all-clear in the run up to Christmas and has since written a ditty – The Mole Song – about the ordeal and to help raise cancer awareness.
Jon lives in Manchester with his wife Emmah, 44, and their sons Nathan, 15, and Alfie, nine.
This comes after it was revealed that BGT 2021 has been cancelled as the ongoing pandemic continues to wreak havoc.
After several weeks of speculation, it has now been confirmed that the show will now not return to screens until 2022.
Bosses of the show said that despite the efforts of the teams at ITV, Thames and head judge Simon Cowell’s Syco, they were forced to call plans off.
They said: ‘With our absolute priority of safeguarding the well-being and health of every person involved in the programme from judges, hosts and contestants to all of the crew and audience, the decision has been made to – unfortunately – move the record and broadcast of the 15th series of Britain’s Got Talent to 2022.
‘BGT is known for its diversity of talent with big dance groups, wonderful choirs and lavish orchestras at its heart, and it has become clear that not only is it not possible to film auditions with these types of acts in a secure way but also that they are not able to adequately rehearse and prepare safely.
‘Safety has to come first and, as a result, the recording of the show can’t currently go ahead as planned.’
The show, which features judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and David Walliams, has already faced its fair share of issues over the past year as, in addition to the pandemic, Cowell was forced to bow out after breaking his back.
Past BGT winner Ashley Banjo was drafted in at the 11th hour to serve as his replacement on the show last year when it aired several months later than usual.
Banjo and his dance troupe Diversity sparked an avalanche of complaints to Ofcom last series, when their performance included moments inspired by police brutality and the Black Lives Matter protests that were dominating the news cycle.
England was placed in a third COVID-19 lockdown earlier this month, with residents ordered to stay at home unless for essential reasons.
However most television and film production is allowed to continue as long as COVID-19 regulations, such as the use of masks and regular testing, are followed
Days before the cancellation of the 2021 series was confirmed, Holden addressed the rumours as she spoke on her Heart Radio breakfast show on Tuesday.
Amanda told co-host Ashley Roberts that bosses were still having discussions to see if it was feasible for the show to go ahead, or if it would have to be pushed to 2022.
Ashley asked Amanda: ‘So, there are rumours BGT may be cancelled due to COVID. Amanda, you had said the live audience is everything, right? Is that the reason?’
To which the judge replied: ‘Yeah, well I personally think that we shouldn’t do it without the fifth judge which is you guys.
‘We need the people behind us, it’s the one show where it does kind of suffer and I’ll be honest, we’ve been told it’s on hold, but then we’ve been told something different so I think it’s fluid.
‘I think there are still discussions going on because it’s a big old show and there are a lot of people who are employed behind the scenes so it’s one that needs to be discussed a bit more in length.’
Co-host Jamie Theakston added: ‘It’s impossible to make a decision in an evolving situation, because we don’t know what the world is going to look like in six months.’
Amanda said: ‘Exactly and I think the producers are very keen not to let anyone down, so I think it’s still under discussion let’s say that.’
It came following reports Thames TV and Cowell’s company Syco had come to the conclusion that it would not be possible to make the programme safely in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The variety show had been due to hold auditions to hold auditions over the summer, with the highly-anticipated live shows to air in the autumn.
‘While many people will have been vaccinated by the summer it remains unclear what the restrictions on mass mingling and on travel will be, so there are absolutely no guarantees production can go ahead.
‘The chances of it airing this year range from extremely slim to non-existent – and it’s almost certain to be the latter. No one’s happy about it – but that’s the way it is.’
However, it’s said that chances of the show being made this year were ‘extremely slim to non-existent’, and may well be pushed back to 2022.
A source told MailOnline: ‘The nature of Britain’s Got Talent means we have all sorts of contestants from all sorts of places – home and abroad – taking part.
It’s now been said that ITV bosses are drawing up TV schedules for the next year and they don’t include Britain’s Got Talent – ITV’s biggest show only second to I’m A Celebrity, attracting 10 millions viewers.
A major issue with keeping safe during filming is the need for a live audience, with the crowd’s live reaction to a performance being a key part of the entertainment.
The 2021 series was set to mark the return of Simon Cowell, 61, to the judging panel, as he was forced to miss last year’s live shows after breaking his back in a bike accident.
With the series now not going ahead until 2022, it means Cowell will have been absent from UK screens for two years before his return.
The 2020 live finals were postponed from the spring to the autumn following the start of the pandemic and were pre-recorded with a virtual audience used to get behind the acts competing to win.