Britain’s Got Talent star Hollie Steel remains as passionate about music as ever before, with the now 23-year-old focusing on musical theatre for the time being.
Hollie, who was just 10 years old when she appeared on the talent show in 2009, grew up in the spotlight for many years as she released tracks and albums before looking towards musical theatre.
The performer struggled following her time on BGT due to her stage fright during one of her performances, but regardless, judges saw her incredible talent and she headed through to the finals.
She landed sixth place and lost out to dance troupe Diversity, but she still remains a well-known contestant – and Daily Star has looked into where Hollie is now.
Transformation
(Image: ITV)
One thing that fans would definitely notice about Hollie is how much she has changed.
Understandably, the star looks completely different from when she stepped on stage in 2009 as a 10-year-old girl.
The blonde singer does keep herself to herself for the most part, but she is currently living a lavish life while out on a cruise ship as she shows various snaps on her Instagram of her touring the world.
From the young girl who appeared on BGT with her hair pinned back into a ponytail and a sweet dress, Hollie now dons stunning outfits and sensational looks all across her social media.
Speaking to Daily Star regarding whether she gets recognised, she said: “In the musical theatre world people will recognise me, but rarely in the street.
“If I do get noticed it will be from 60 to 70-year-olds who listen to my kind of music. But mostly, when I meet someone and they follow me on Instagram the penny drops and they recognise me as ‘the girl from BGT’.”
PTSD
(Image: ITV)
While many viewers loved seeing Hollie on Britain’s Got Talent, her stage fright got the better of her in one show and she cried mid-song and asked if she could start again.
Many viewers may have considered that to be quite normal for a young girl, but it stuck with Hollie for many years after the show.
Just last year, she recorded a YouTube video of her reacting to the video as she opened up about what she believes to be PTSD.
She said: “It affected me for a really long time. I have been going to counselling for it since Covid happened and I haven’t been diagnosed but we have been talking about PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
“Whenever I went on a stage I would get flashbacks of that moment. It still happens now, but I fight through it and I’m really proud of myself for that.”
She said that as a youngster she would read the comments on YouTube which were “horrific”, but looking back on it as an adult, she’s realised it “wasn’t as bad” as she thought and remembered that she “was just a kid”.
Hollie said it was vital for her to watch the video back and has reminded people that they’re not alone.
Different life
After her time on the show, Hollie went back to school for a short while, but eventually moved to London to join a school for singing.
However, Hollie’s lifestyle soon became incredibly busy after the success of the show.
She said: “I was invited to lots of different places like Hong Kong, people really liked young Hollie in a lot of Asian countries and they were so welcoming and it was so fun.
“Life was so different for a few years after BGT. People were different with me, like friends, they had preconceptions about me.
“You kind of find that people wanted to hate you. Then they met me and would realise that I was friendly. To this day though people still have preconceptions about me before they even meet me.
“I think I’ve only just got a grasp of it now. I now understand why things are the way they are and that now I’m an adult I can take control of everything.”
BGT friendship
(Image: ITV)
In a sweet friendship, when they were growing up Hollie and Connie Talbot became pals after going through a very similar experience.
Hollie said they met a few times when they were younger and they used to talk quite a bit, but their friendship has slowly drifted.
She said: “When I was a teenager I used to send her a Christmas present and card and stuff like that, but we don’t really talk as adults now.
“Both of us tried to separate ourselves from BGT and grow as who we are as people, so we don’t really talk much now but she’s a lovely girl and I really like her.”
Grease The Musical
Hollie is now on a cruise ship performing Grease the musical, which she has been doing since July 2021 with her contract until May 2022.
She said she was also doing it from 2018 to 2019 but she, along with many other musical theatre workers, were forced to have a year-and-a-half off.
She added: “It’s great. I love doing the show, I’m really enjoying it here. I haven’t released music properly for a year or two because I wanted to take a break from that side of things and focus on what I want.”
Next steps
As part of her goals, Hollie would love to bag a lead role on the West End.
She said: “Before I didn’t have ambition, I just wanted to have fun. But now I’ve got that I know that I want to get up on stage every night and sing a song. I would love to really show off my acting skills and do West End and play a leading lady – one day!”
Hollie releases covers on her YouTube where fans can listen to her music online.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
