Monday 19 May 2014

'I'm so grateful for this second chance': Britain's Got Talent hopeful Henrietta Adewole started singing after drunk driver ended dream of Olympic glory

She coasted through to the next round of Britain’s Got Talent on Saturday evening, but teenager Henrietta Adewole's decision to pursue a singing career began when a drunk driver ended her childhood ambition to be an Olympic sprinter.
The 18-year-old student impressed judges David Walliams, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden with her soulful interpretation of Passenger hit Let Her Go during Simon Cowell’s absence for the birth of his baby son, Eric.
But while she looks ahead to potential stage success, she still rues the moment she was struck by car in 2007 – an incident that effectively ended her hopes of becoming an athlete.
Hopeful: Henrietta Adewole takes to the stage on Saturday evening's episode of Britain's Got Talent
Hopeful: Henrietta Adewole takes to the stage on Saturday evening's episode of Britain's Got Talent

She told the Sunday Mirror: ‘I was jogging with my mum early one morning when I saw this car waiting in the road for something. I was expecting it to move when all of a
sudden it zoomed towards me on the pavement.

Henrietta, just 12 and a rising track star at the time of the accident, was thrown in the air as the car ploughed through the garden of a nearby house.
The offending driver was eventually convicted and banned from the road at Grays Magistrates’ Court in Essex – but the ligament damage sustained by Henrietta, who previously ran for her country and harboured Olympic dreams, affected her fitness, confidence and self-belief on the track.
Rising star: But the teenager's initial dream was to be an Olympic athlete
Rising star: But the teenager's initial dream was to be an Olympic athlete
Soulful: Henrietta, 18, impressed the judging panel with her interpretation of Passenger hit Let Her GoSoulful: Henrietta, 18, impressed the judging panel with her interpretation of Passenger hit Let Her Go
Soulful: Henrietta, 18, impressed the judging panel with her interpretation of Passenger hit Let Her Go


You're through: The youngster coasted through to the next round of Britain's Got Talent on Saturday evening
You're through: The youngster coasted through to the next round of Britain's Got Talent on Saturday evening
‘Suddenly the thing I was best at was something I couldn’t win anymore,’ she recalled. ‘I was even scared of cars and walking on the road.
‘I’d wake up in cold sweats. I’d even see the woman’s face in the middle of the night and replay the accident.’
The teen finally turned her back on running after finishing sixth in her final race, focussing instead on her local gospel church – and it was through her faith that she developed a passion for singing.
Henrietta now hopes to prove that, no matter what life throws at you, it is possible to triumph over adversity.
She added: ‘I’m so grateful that I’ve had this second chance.’
Britain’s Got Talent continues Saturday 24 May on ITV1.
Backstage: Henrietta chats with Britain's Got Talent hosts Ant McPartlin (C) and Declan Donnelly (R)
Backstage: Henrietta chats with Britain's Got Talent hosts Ant McPartlin (C) and Declan Donnelly (R)

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