Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Britain’s Got Talent winner Jon Courtenay says prize money is ‘complete life-saver’ after coronavirus left him unemployed

Comedian’s work as cruise ship entertainer had dried up during pandemic

Ellie Harrison
Monday 12 October 2020 09:48 BST
Comments
Jon Courtenay celebrates winning Britain’s Got Talent
Jon Courtenay celebrates winning Britain’s Got Talent (Rex Features)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Jon Courtenay, the winner of the latest series of Britain’s Got Talent, has said the £250,000 prize money is a “life-saver”.

The comedian, who beat off competition from Sign Along With Us and Steve Royale, was crowned champion on Saturday night (10 October).

After his victory, the former cruise ship entertainer told The Mirror his work had dried up due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Courtenay, who is married with two sons, has been out of a job since the pandemic hit and been living off life savings.

“We literally really were down to our last pennies,” he said.

“This is honestly a complete lifesaver so it’s going to help immediately and some friends and family as well that I can help out. So it’s going to be incredible. It’s been fabulous.”

He added: “Short of paying off our overdraft, I’ve got friends and family that I can help out. I’m also going to give a lot of money to needy children because I’ve got children.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in