Hollie's secret grandpa

Hollie Steel

By Keith Gladdis & Jennifer Wiley, 31/05/2009

LITTLE singing star Hollie Steel has a granddad she never knew existed, the News of the World can reveal.

The 10-year-old and her mum's secret father John Devassey, 57, live just five miles apart-and he has been backing her on Britain's Got Talent.

But ironmonger John said he only discovered the rising star was his granddaughter when we approached him last week.

He told us he was stunned-and now wants to meet 10-year-old Hollie and her mum Nina. He said: "It's a real bombshell.

Fury

"I have been watching Hollie on the TV and have been supporting her because she is from Burnley but I didn't know she was my granddaughter.

"I can't believe the little girl I have been cheering on is my granddaughter. It is all a shock."

Little Hollie started the evening as second favourite to win last night's final despite bursting into tears during Friday's semi-final.

Last night she managed to sing a note-perfect rendition of Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again from Phantom of the Opera.

We told John that Hollie was his granddaughter on Thursday, and the next day he watched on telly as she broke down and sobbed while singing Edelweiss in the semi-final. She was allowed to try again before the judges voted her through to last night's final.

But yesterday thousands of furious viewers flooded ITV's switchboard and website with complaints she had been given a second chance.

Child psychologists also blasted the broadcaster over Hollie's emotional state.

ITV bosses have now scheduled crisis talks for this week about whether they will ban child performers from future series.

But proud John said he was delighted his granddaughter had made it to the final. He has written to Nina asking if he can meet them.

He said: "It has been 37 years and I have never met Nina. She has her own life, a husband and a family, who I don't want to upset. We will have to see what happens."

John dated Hollie's grandma Carol in 1971, when he was 21. They split up and he did not know she was pregnant with Nina. After the baby was born, he says Carol told him he was NOT the father.

But she revealed to Nina that her dad was a man called John Devassey, and in turn Nina told close friends. John later married another girl and now he and wife Susan have four children.

Bizarrely, at one point, John's workshop was just yards from where Nina lived-but the pair never met. A close family friend told us: "A year after Nina was born, Carol's sister approached John in a pub and said to him do you know you've got a baby?

"She told him the address and he went straight there. John spoke to Carol and she said the baby wasn't his.

Upset

"As Nina wasn't there he didn't know. If he'd seen her he would have known she was his."

But last night Carol, 59, insisted John DID know about Nina. Mum-of-three Carol, who also later married, claimed: "He has never given Nina anything in her life. He might be her biological father but that it is." We traced John to his business -and told him about Hollie.

He then looked at BGT photos of her and Nina on the internet and realised they were his. "I saw the resemblance," he said. "It has been an upsetting time but also a happy one. I have missed out on a lot.

"If I'd known earlier, I would have tried to make contact.

"I am a family man and do not run away from my responsibilities. I take my responsibilities seriously.

"I supported Hollie before I knew she was my granddaughter -and I still support her now."

A Britain's Got Talent spokeswoman yesterday confirmed John was Nina's father but said Nina did not want to talk about it. Earlier Nina told us how Hollie had crumbled with exhaustion after her breakdown on Friday.

Nina said: "She's only 10 and she was completely overwhelmed. She's physically and mentally exhausted.

"My God, my heart was in my mouth when she started crying. It was awful. It was really scary."

"Once you're in the seat you're not meant to leave but as soon as she started breaking up I just thought, 'I don't care.'

"I've never seen her break up on the stage before. She's sung in front of hundreds of people and never done anything like that. So this has really shocked me."But viewers have been besieging ITV, complaining about Hollie being allowed to sing again-and the row seems likely to have cost her votes in the final.

One fan said: "To have given in to her foot-stomping and crocodile tears is a complete disgrace to the show, an injustice to every other contestant, and an embarrassment to Britain overall."

Another said: "That was completely unfair to other contestants. If there are second chances, there should be one for everyone."

And psychological expert Professor David Wilson, of Birmingham City University, called for kids to be banned from shows like BGT.

Ban

He said: "The age limit should be 17. There are very few sports, for example, that would allow a child to compete against an adult.

"Hollie was simply distressed. This was just a little girl who felt she was letting people down and she was letting herself down. I always worry when I see a child that way."

An ITV insider told us bosses were considering whether to allow kids on BGT again. The source said: "Questions are being asked if it's the right thing to use young kids to gain ratings."

Yesterday an ITV spokesman said: "Friday night was an unprecedented incident and Simon and the producers believed it was only fair to give Hollie a second chance."

Your comments

This article has 20 comments

Just like what? 1 or 2 kids crying and you want to ban every kid? What about children talent show? Y not ban that. And Susan Boyle had a meltdown, so ban those above 40s. Some in their late teens or young adult who had a meltdown like in American Idol shows, so what? Ban them too? So in the end no one is competing. There are far younger children competing in far more higher standard and serious shows, like spelling bees, science fairs, etc, so why not ban those as well? Beauty pageant? Ban those as well. Just because one young girl panicked and threw a tantrum you want to make a sweeping ban. What about parental responsibility? parents should know when to allow their child to compete competetively. It was a one time meltdown. No more and no less.

By SF. Posted June 2 2009 at 10:22 AM.

Get a grip you crazy people, its only a TV Show!!!! So what if the kid got another go around your acting like its the Olympics! Its called a entertainment show about yocals. Why don't you focus some of this attention something worthy like North Korea. Romes burning and Nero while fiddles. I dunno.....

By Beldar. Posted June 1 2009 at 2:36 AM.

I enjoyed this year's BGT but I think the show is becoming more of X factor. I don't want to know too much of personal life or read stuffs on paper which is NOT related to the actual talent. That makes the show really cheap, reality show.
I especially want NOT to know any sob-story!

As for Holly, I think she deserved 2nd chance becuase either way there will be people criticise, so why let her to suffer further?

As a whole, I enjoyed the show thanks to ALL contestants who gave great entertaining.

By B.B.. Posted May 31 2009 at 9:39 PM.

this is well unfair on the other contestants who dont get a second chance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By d. Posted May 31 2009 at 9:34 PM.

get a grip people,im sure theres more important things to get upset about. brave very brave to have a go at kids. hope she goes on to be a success. as for the rest of you, big brother starts soon, so you can all wallow in fakery, stupidity, and crap tv, for however long it lasts. me, im off to watch the grass grow.

By drew. Posted May 31 2009 at 9:28 PM.

Would it not make more sense to have an adult britains got talent and a childs one then that should keep everyone happy and then if one of the kids break down and given a second chance then its not so bad as the same thing can be given to all of the kids if needed.

By m. Posted May 31 2009 at 9:26 PM.

What a spoiled brat. When she thought there wasn't enough time for her to sing again she had a tantrum. I am appalled that the judges called her brave. What an insult to children who really are; those suffering from illness, bereavment, poverty. A seriously good singer missed out on his chance because of her nonsense - of course Amanda wouldn't have voted for him because she doesn't know what a counter tenor is.

By Gina . Posted May 31 2009 at 9:09 PM.

I think Hollie just crumbled under the pressure of the evening. If Simon Cowell hadn't given her a second chance he would have been criticised so either way he couldn't do the right thing. I think Hollie sang beautifully at the final and she is a talented little girl. However I was sorry Greg didn't go through to the final.

By Jenny Bliss. Posted May 31 2009 at 8:12 PM.

Come on now children have been performing for years Shirley Temple, Elizabeth Taylor the list goes on this is just something for the Psychologists to gain publicity on. It was awful for Hollie but how many times have we seen kids break down they are far more resilient than adults.
As for the second chance well done Simon it was the right thing to do.
Good luck Hollie you were fantastic!

By L Brosnan. Posted May 31 2009 at 7:33 PM.

It is true about her grandad but he also knew he had a daughter all them years ago and its obvious why he is now wanting to get in touch with them!!! Carol is my aunty and she is not lying as my mum knows he was told about nina. And if you look back at the program it was hollie begging for another chance not her mum forcing her.

By burnley. Posted May 31 2009 at 7:11 PM.

Something about this story with hollie`s grandfather doesn`t ring true. Amazing how he suddenly wants contact now that hollie has a chance of fame. I think he knew all along what was what - shame on him if he did !

By lollipop31. Posted May 31 2009 at 6:16 PM.

Or was it Cowell, trying to raise more publicity for another sham of a show, BGT for kids??? staged pantomime me thinks!

By Hazza. Posted May 31 2009 at 4:19 PM.

Next year BGT over 16's only.

By Trisha. Posted May 31 2009 at 4:18 PM.

Aiden Davis - 11/12 years old - didnt break down
george sampson - 13 - won it and didnt break down
Shaheen - 12 - didnt break down.

Yes they are all older than Hollie but what about Connie Talbot (sp?)
she was 6 and she didnt break down.

She was good.

Hollie shouldnt of got a second chance. if it had been any of the other contestants it woud of been tough luck

By annoymous. Posted May 31 2009 at 2:46 PM.

It has been obvious from the outset Holly was only there for her mothers benefit. She should definately not been given a second chance.Even when given a second chance she was not the best of the evening by far. She got through on the sympathy vote. Take her home mum let her lead a life of her own , she will never thank you for pushing her like you obviously do

By SARAH. Posted May 31 2009 at 2:27 PM.

Holly should never have got through. Did nobody notice that when she 'broke down' not a single tear ran down her cheeks? Greg Pritchard should have gone through, but after all the drama the judges simply couldn't put through the real talent as they would have been pelted with eggs in the street for being mean to a kid. So it was 'Boo - Hoo... I got through!!" Greg is WORLD class but I fear his boat has now sailed, all because of a tearless tantrum.

By Matthew Thompson. Posted May 31 2009 at 11:20 AM.

they should set an age limit of 14 young kids can not cope with harsh words this little girl had been hypet up by her mother to think she was the bees knees .

By rita fullick. Posted May 31 2009 at 10:20 AM.

It was sad for Hollie,but Ithink she was too young to have entered.She is very good and would have been better when she was older so that she can proceed with it for a career.It is a cruel blow to all the young people who entered.

By mary ayres. Posted May 31 2009 at 8:54 AM.

I still think they need a kids' BGT and an adult one. The prize for the kids could be education - drama school, drama course at uni or specialist music lessons, not £100,000.

Hollie's 'tearful' performance was quite something but, next time, how about squeezing out some actual tears? Last night's performance was not note perfect and the weakest of the finalists'. She should not have been put through and it showed.

I hope Greg gets the chance to make an album and develop a career because, unlike Hollie, he really had talent and stands out from his peers.

By Amy. Posted May 31 2009 at 7:24 AM.

I agree that Hollie should not have had a second chance because it's a competition and there were others who made mistakes and if given another chance could have been perfect.

Unfortunately life has downfalls and you have to deal with them and she is very young so maybe not quite ready for the competition, but she can always come back on X factor.

By Annie. Posted May 31 2009 at 8:20 AM.

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