Colin Thackery

Colin Thackery wowed audiences with his vocals as a contestant on the 2019 season of Britain's Got Talent, eventually becoming the show's oldest-ever winner at the age of 89. Born in 1930, Thackery joined his local church choir as a boy before enlisting in the Army at the age of 15. After serving in Malaya, he returned to the U.K. at 19 years old and met his wife, Joan, with the couple getting married just before Thackery was posted to Korea in 1950. While traveling, he sang and performed for the troops as part of a revue and also during lulls in fighting. Retiring from the Army, Thackery joined his local operatic society, performing along with his wife until her passing in 2016. After 66 years of marriage, he saw himself naturally at a loss, and he eventually joined the Chelsea Pensioners -- a retirement home for British Army veterans. It was there that he was persuaded to audition for the 2019 edition of Britain's Got Talent. Dressed in the iconic Pensioners Scarlet uniform, Thackery impressed the show's judges and audience with his rendition of Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings," which he dedicated to his late wife. Reaching the semifinals, he performed a rendition of Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again" while being backed by his fellow Pensioners. On reaching the finale, Thackery's version of the Sarah Brightman classic "Love Changes Everything" won the show, with him eventually going on to perform for Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Variety Performance. Thackery also signed a deal with Simon Cowell's company Simco, delivering his debut album, Love Changes Everything, for Universal just a few months after his win.
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