Britain's Got Talent's finalist Julia Carlile left viewers in tears after revealing she might not be able to dance again because she needs a life-changing operation. But following her success with dance troupe MerseyGirls on the ITV series, BGT judge Simon Cowell revealed he would pay for the £175,000 surgery. And over the weekend, the 15-year-old finalist - who has scoliosis - moved festival goers at Formby Festival in Liverpool with her final dance before the operation.
STORY: Simon Cowell hints he'll pay for Britain's Got Talent star Julia's life-changing operation
In an interview with Liverpool Echo, Julia thanked the X Factor mogul for his generosity. Referring to her time on BGT, she explained: "Simon came and spoke to us backstage. Just walking off stage and he said he was paying for it and I couldn't believe it. Annie came up to me and said Simon wants to speak to us. He said we did a really good performance." The operation will see the teenager travel to New York with her family this week in the hope that she will be able to dance again.
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Julia, who entered BGT this year with her friends, confessed her final dance was an emotional one. She admitted: "It was quite sad. I'm not going to see any of the girls now before my surgery. We were all crying and saying bye to each other, hugging and crying. We are really, really close friends." Julia made headlines for her courageous attitude, and during MerseyGirls' first audition she told the judges: "I have to have surgery soon, and after surgery I won't be able to dance, so this is my last chance because I've always wanted to do it." A surprised Simon replied: "Are you serious? You've got an amazing attitude I've got to tell you."