HE’S battled a burst appendix, a huge tumour on his adrenal gland and a shattered collarbone after being knocked off his bike. But Paul Potts had to face another traumatic hurdle when he took part in Simon Cowell’s new search-for-a-star show Britain’s Got Talent on ITV1. And there’s little more daunting than singing a famous opera song in front of TV’s Mr Nasty, ex-tabloid editor Piers Morgan and actress Amanda Holden! But last night the 36-year-old Port Talbot singer wowed the judges, who are searching for an act to perform in front of The Queen at the Royal Variety Performance and win a £100,000 prize. Wearing a “cheap Tesco suit” and with his hair cut too short, Paul admits the trio weren’t initially impressed. But when he sang Nessun Dorma, he blew them away. Paul said: “I don’t think they were expecting very much. I’m a bit short and overweight and had a cheap old suit on and the hairdresser had used a number two on my hair instead of a four so it made me look a bit bald. “But when I sang, I made sure I looked at the judges and I saw Simon Cowell’s jaw drop. I knew then I must have done alright” Paul, one of the stars of last night’s show, presented by Ant and Dec, received a standing ovation from the 2,000-strong audience at Cardiff’s Millennium Centre and much praise from the hard-to-please judges. He said: “I think they thought my image was poor. Simon said the suit was too big, Piers told me I looked awful but Amanda said it was nothing TopShop couldn’t solve.” The Carphone Warehouse manager now goes on to the next stage of the competition, but he’s proud of what he’s achieved. The keen opera singer, who once had a masterclass from Pavarotti, said: “I heard some of the audience were reduced to tears after my performance and Amanda has been quoted as saying the hairs on her neck stand up when she remembers it. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s a great achievement already, anything else is a bonus. I just saw the show as my last chance really. “I had to take a long break after my health problems. “First I burst my appendix, then they found a 10cm benign tumour which had to be removed and just as I’d recovered, I was knocked off my bike, shattering my collarbone. It meant I had to take quite a lot of time out from singing but it’s nice to have another shot at it.” | 
