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Diversity win it for late mentor
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Dance sensation Diversity’s Britain’s Got Talent victory at the weekend may have been a surprise, but that’s not to say it wasn’t well-deserved. But in the wake of their triumph, the team have revealed that the death of a friend and mentor just under three years ago was what helped inspire them.
"We did a show for a close friend whom we lost through cancer,” said the 11-man troupe’s curiously-named leader Ashley Banjo (pictured). "Her name was Sylvia Lewis and that show at the end of 2006 was the first big thing we did.”
"The dance we did for our first Britain's Got Talent audition had parts of that and was inspired by her. When she passed away – that was how all this started."
The 20-year-old’s mum Danielle said the boys didn’t mention Sylvia during the competition because they didn’t want to tout for the public’s sympathy. Quite right too. "They've been together practically their whole lives but only formed Diversity properly about two years ago,” she said.
"Sylvia was like an auntie to the boys and they were really sad when she died.
“She's the reason they got together, because it was so tragic and she inspired them. They didn't mention it earlier because they didn't want people to think they were after the sympathy vote. But Sylvia gave them their motto – dream, believe, achieve."
Looks like they’ve done her proud.
by Will Parkhouse, Monday 1 June 2009
Source: Daily Mirror
Picture: Rex
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