A NURSE who sings to child cancer patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital wows the audience on Britain’s Got Talent tonight.
And hero Beth Porch said it is harder to impress two-year-olds on her ward than the show boss Simon Cowell.
Beth, 25, is back working at her London hospital after her own battle against coronavirus.
She was inspired to go on the ITV show after a film went viral last year of her playing a ukulele and singing the McFly hit All About You to three-year-old patient Artie Vickerage.
She auditioned in January, singing a song she wrote herself. And she has had to keep her appearance a secret from most of her young fan club — until now.
Talking to HOAR after a gruelling 12½-hour night shift, Beth said: “I might have done quite well with the judges and got a few people on their feet, but honestly there are some two-year-olds who will cry their eyes out as soon as I start singing.
“So yeah, it’s honestly harder to impress them than Simon!”
Her touching song You Taught Me What Love Is has been inspired by the highs and lows she has experienced on the cancer ward.
Beth, who has been at Great Ormond Street for five years, added: “Obviously it’s very emotionally demanding work.
“This song was just a way for me to process my feelings at what was a difficult time.
“It’s a homage to all my patients, their families and what they have to go through.
“A lot of those kids are coming to us to be first diagnosed, but for a lot of them, they are relapsing and starting to run out of options.”
Beth, originally from Devon, has told a handful of the children about her BGT performance in a bid to lift their spirits.
She said: “There are a few who are going through a particularly difficult period. A lot of the time they don’t have much going on.
“We have reduced visits, and playrooms have been locked down, so the kids are getting bored.
“Being in hospital for a long time, it can be quite soul destroying for anybody of any age.
“For them, it’s super-exciting that they know someone who is going on Britain’s Got Talent, so I’ve had to keep it all under wraps.
“As we’ve got closer to the show I’ve been able to reveal just a little bit more. And to see the smile on their faces is amazing.”
Beth waited almost 13 hours for her audition at the London Palladium in front of judges Simon, David Walliams, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden.
And she said any nerves had gone by the time it was her turn.
She said: “It was crazy day, really really long. There is always so much more filming than people see on TV. A couple of friends came along for support.
“When it came to my audition which was late in the day, I was quite relaxed and just really excited to perform. My constant state is probably just tired all the time.
“I don’t get tired like a normal person because my body’s so used to chopping and changing with all the different hours.”
Beth recently took a few weeks off work after testing positive for Covid-19. She said: “I knew I had it as soon as I started coughing.
“A hospital tested me because I’m frontline staff. Fortunately my symptoms were mild. It felt like having the flu so I wasn’t too badly off.
“I was able to ride it out at home without needing to go to hospital. Now I’m back to normal and happy to be back at work helping look after everyone.”
Beth has been overwhelmed by the national outpouring of support for the NHS.
And she wants to win Britain’s Got Talent, its £250,000 prize and a place at the Royal Variety Performance, to give a “voice to the voiceless” of those working on the front line every day.
Beth added: “The country is really loving the NHS right now and rightly so. But there are adult nurses, intensive care nurses, who work so much harder than I do.
“And I just don’t think that we as frontline staff get a lot of recognition that we deserve.
“Even the cleaners in hospitals don’t get any recognition, but they are so important every single day. So it would be amazing if I could be a representative or advocate of the NHS and our hospitals.
“Just to be another voice for the voiceless would be incredible. So yes, I’m kind of hungry for the win now.”
Beth added: “There is something really powerful about the recognition that we are getting. A lot of people are saying what’s the point of clapping for the NHS workers when we should be getting more money from the Government, which I totally agree with.
“But at the same time — when my colleagues and I hear the clapping every Thursday night it brings tears to our eyes because we do just feel that love.
“We have felt so neglected for so long. It is really wonderful that everybody is coming together in times of crisis.” While music and nursing are the two loves of Beth’s life, she would jump at the chance to make a career from singing.
She added: “I have my dream job. I love my job so much but I think part of me is always wondered what would happen if I were to pursue the music a bit more.
“I just thought, oh, you know, maybe I should give this a go and Britain’s Got Talent seems just kind of the perfect opportunity as a way into a potential music career.”
- BETH’S BGT song will be available to download with all profits going to her chosen causes — NHS Charities Together and Great Ormond Street Hospital children’s charity. To download or audio-stream the track and for more charity, details go to itv.com/bgt
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