BGT runner-up Lucy Kay’s life – gravedigger job, album flop and transformation

Lucy Kay rose to fame after finishing runner-up to musical theatre group Collabro on Britain’s Got Talent in 2014.

Since then the opera singer has gone on to release two albums and support Andrea Bocelli on tour. Her path hasn’t been straightforward, however, and at times has taken some unusual turns.

Now aged 33 and a decade on from her time on ITV, Lucy has two albums under her belt and has worked in a variety of roles after moving from Nottinghamshire to Norway – via Glasgow.

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Now, with another series of BGT in full swing, we look back on several aspects of Lucy’s life and career so far.

Escaping bullies

Following her time on the ITV show, Lucy admitted her love for classical music made her an easy target for bullies on the school playground. Horrifyingly, the abuse left her feeling suicidal at times as she grew up in a deprived area of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.

“I was bullied pretty much every day from the age of seven to 18 for something I loved doing, which was singing classical music,” she said. “I was attacked, beaten up, called names… one time I even had my hair cut off in class. I had cuts and bruises but I think the worst thing was just the fear. I would get texts saying, ‘We’ll be waiting for you tonight’.”

Changing schools didn’t solve the problem either, but what hurt Lucy the most was seeing her mum suffer emotionally too. “I saw my mum going through the pain of seeing me so upset and not being able to stop it,” Lucy added.

“It broke my heart and it made me think it would be better if I wasn’t here. I just couldn’t see any end to the darkness. It was hellish and relentless.” Eventually Lucy moved to Glasgow to escape her ordeal and live with her boyfriend. There, she studied music and from that point there was no turning back.

Gravedigger

Lucy’s first album, Fantasia, charted in the top 20 and at number one on the Classical Albums Chart. Despite her success, however, work dried up – particularly by 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Opting for a change of scenery, Lucy travelled to Norway where she was forced to find a job to stay in the country – but the only role available at the time was one as a gravedigger. She later opened up to the Daily Star on what it was like to work in a graveyard during such uncertain times.

Obviously through Covid I had to change career for a while and so I then worked in a graveyard for a few months in Norway,” she explained. “In order to get my residency there, I had to take a job but there was nothing open – not bars or anything so I took that [gravedigging role] and that was fine.”

Lucy continued: “I loved it, I loved working outside and digging and everything. It was great. But the weird thing is my mum was like, ‘Okay so you been on stage and you’ve sang with Andrea Bocelli and now you’re working in a graveyard’.”

The singer went on to confess that she found the job to be “quite calming” despite many people finding the role spooky. “I had a sense of calm around certain graves that I worked on, it was more of a calming presence than a scary one which was not what I was thinking,” she said. “I thought I would be very freaked out but there were loads of beautiful moments that stood out while I was working there.”

In another huge change, meanwhile, Lucy later found herself working at Norefjell Ski & Spa, amid beautiful mountain scenery less than two hours from Norwegian capital, Oslo. Whilst she also performed on Viking Star cruise ships.

Panto success

After the Covid-19 dust settled, Lucy finally recorded her second album in 2021 – Dark Angel – her own classical take on covers including Madonna’s Like A Prayer and Radiohead’s Creep. She told We Are The City on its release: “I wanted to show that there is beauty in darkness and give classical music some umph! I want people to feel like they are at the cinema, and they are being taken on an adrenaline pumping and emotional roller-coaster journey!”

The release proved less successful than Fantasia seven years previously, however, and since then Lucy has starred in several pantomimes. The 2023 festive season saw her star as the fairy in Sleeping Beauty – alongside a certain Katie Price in Liverpool. A year earlier, meanwhile, she was cast as Snow White in Manchester, with both her performances met with critical acclaim.

Stunning transformation

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When we first met Lucy as a BGT hopeful aged 25, she sported a much different look to today. Stepping out for the first time in front of Simon Cowell, David Walliams, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden, Lucy sported jet black hair in a beehive and a gap tooth akin to supermodel Lara Stone.

Described by the Daily Record at the time as having the voice of Katherine Jenkins and the glamour of Dita Von Teese, Lucy stunned even back then – but today her beauty has reached new levels. She regularly shares selfies with her 14,000 Instagram followers and is gradually moving to lighter shades of brunette hair, something her fans clearly approve of.

Earlier this week Lucy showcased her latest treatment as she gazed towards the camera through her stunning blue eyes. “You look smashing Lucy,” declared one fan. Another added: “Glowing girl era.” A third wrote: “Lovely hair Lucy.” And a fourth said: “Hey Lucy, nice hair colour, bit of a change after your hols.”

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk