Britain’s Got Talent star is unrecognisable – and glam to the max – 13 years later-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro

Ronan Parke looks totally different from his Britain’s Got Talent days (Picture: Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/REX/Shutterstock)

You won’t believe what this Britain’s Got Talent star looks like now…

In 2012, Ronan Parke blew everyone away when he auditioned for the talent show in front of judges Amanda Holden, Michael McIntyre, and stand-in Louis Walsh.

Aged just 12 at the time, Ronan entered the stage with a shy demeanour as his terrified mum stood with Ant and Dec in the wings.

No one could’ve predicted what would happen next, however, as the music started playing and he belted out Feeling Good by Nina Simone.

The schoolboy’s vocals were extraordinary, nailing every note and, rightfully, earning a standing ovation from the crowd.

Having sailed through to the live shows, Ronan ultimately finished in second place while Scottish singer Jai McDowall took the crown, despite the youngster being favourite with the bookies.

His audition remains iconic (Picture: Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/REX/Shutterstock)

He made it all the way to the final, finishing second (Picture: Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/REX/Shutterstock)

Fast forward 13 years and Ronan, now 25, is still working in the industry.

He looks worlds away from the boy who auditioned for BGT, though, and far more glam.

Ronan regularly shares high-fashion pictures on Instagram, where he boasts 50,000 followers.

Whether it’s oversized shades or statement jewellery, he’s always sporting an eye-catching accessory.

He seems to love a designer label, too, having been snapped in a Vivienne Westwood necklace and a YSL clutch bag.

Ronan still has his blonde locks, which he typically styles in a quiff.

Ronan is now 25 years old (Picture: Instagram)

He’s forever sharing high-fashion looks with his Instagram followers (Picture: Instagram)

Glam to the max, or what? (Picture: Instagram)

He’s also grown to be quite the social butterfly and globetrotter, regularly posting pictures with pals and from his travels around the world.

Career-wise, Ronan has released a number of singles.

The singer, from Poringland, Norfolk, signed a joint record deal with Sony Music and released a charted self-titled debut album in 2011, which reached number 22 in the charts.

He’s also released a Christmas tune, plus a charity single in 2012 in aid of anti-bullying.

In 2018 he released a single titled No Love (Like First Love), followed by an original album titled Found My Way, plus a Christmas single titled Cheers.

Last year, it was reported that Ronan was working in hospitality alongside his passion for singing after he was photographed wearing his uniform arriving for work at a top London restaurant.

As for his personal life, Ronan came out as gay at the age of 20.

In an interview at the time, he spoke about reclaiming his identity after suffering horrific online abuse during BGT, much of which was laced with homophobia.

He said looking back on his time on the show: ‘I look back at it in different ways. It was mostly a positive experience, but there were certain things that happened when I was young that I could look back and say, “Oh, I was too young to do that.”

‘Being on social media was difficult. I was 12 and people were saying this really negative stuff, and it was always about sexuality, always.

‘I’d never spoken about it – I was really young, there was no need to. But it was nearly always about that and that was difficult to deal with.’

He went on to say that he’s ‘always been very proud to say’ he’s a gay man.

Ronan came out as gay several years ago (Picture: Instagram)

‘It’s just nice to confirm it,’ he said to Gay Times.’ It’s relaxing to know that I’ve spoken about it, don’t have to worry about it, and I can be more myself and authentic.’

‘I’ve got lots of young people who support me, and I hope that if there’s a young gay guy or girl out there who feels like they’re not good enough because of their sexuality or are struggling to come out or talk about it, to know that you should never feel ashamed of it.

‘I know I needed that, I needed to see somebody. Just be proud. Times are changing. Everyone deserves to be happy.’

Britain’s Got Talent continues on ITV1 and ITVX.

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