Diversity's Perri Kiely reveals 'horrible' nerves before BGT Final performance

(Image credit: ABACA USA/Empics Entertainment)

Diversity's Perri Kiely has revealed he was 'terrified' ahead of the group's performance at the Britain's Got Talent final.

The dance troupe, led by Ashley Banjo, teamed up with Little Mix, who sang their latest single Salute, on the ITV1 talent show, which they won in 2009. Despite performing for huge audiences, the 18-year-old admitted returning to the Britain's Got Talent still gives him the jitters.

"Whenever you turn up, it's scary. It's horrible. I have loads of nerves to cope with, and as soon as you come off the stage, you've got the judges looking at you - but it's always fun," he said.

"I'm always nervous before I go on stage, but once I'm there with the rest of the boys, the nerves disappear. For some reason, my nerves make me feel really tired so once I've warmed up, I fall asleep."

Ashley admitted the pressure of getting their performance right also weighs heavily on him.

He said: "Making a mistake on stage is bad, but it'd be awful if you made a mistake if you're going back to Britain's Got Talent with all the other acts on stage. This is the biggest competition we've won so we have to come back, do our best and be amazing. It always puts added pressure on us, coming back to the place where we won. It's like playing on home ground."

Both dancers agree that operatic boyband Collabro deserved to win this year's series.

"It was the most open fina,l but their act was so solid. They're one of the only acts I can really see blowing up and doing really well," Ashley said.

Diversity have created a series of optical illusions dance routines to celebrate the launch of Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Mix-Ups. Fans can check out the videos on here, with the chance to win the ultimate home entertainment system when they upload their best mixed-up picture.

"This seemed like a fun thing to do and we got to mix up our body parts. It's all moves people can do at home, whether you're a dancer or not," Ashley explained.

 

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.