BGT's teen star Michael Collings is barely recognisable ten years after show's final

dailystar.co.uk:

Britain's Got Talent more than a decade ago is barely recognisable today.All grown up and now a dad, Michael Collings has come a long way since he caused a sensation on the hit ITV show with his solo acoustic rendition of the 1988 Tracey Chapman chart-topper Fast Car.His skills saw him make it all the way to the 2011 final, in which he came fifth - shortly after which he hit the road, joining the BGT UK tour after the series ended.Back then though he was just a 19-year-old IT engineer who lived on a caravan site in Plymouth with his mother and father and was expecting a baby his pregnant fiancée Sarah.Michael said he proposed to Sarah at Buffet City, an all-you-can-eat Chinese restaurant in Plymouth city centre in front of her mum and sister.

The couple would end up having a little girl together. "It's not too bad actually, it's quite posh," he said of his home life at the time."You need a key card to open the gates, things like that."Having only ever performed at his local pub prior to entering the competition, he stated that his dream was to go on to become a "successful recording artist, release lots of albums, and play across the world."And, while daddy duties take up much of his time these days, Michael still keeps his hand in when it comes to music.He continues to impress his followers by uploading fresh cover versions and brand new material onto his Instagram page, such as a single released last year entitled Burn All My Things."Life takes you through a funny rollercoaster at times," he wrote alongside a recent live clip. "Taking time to reflect and just be you really helps.