DESPITE only forming one month before their first audition eight years ago – Collabro have gone on to become one of Britain’s Got Talent’s biggest triumphs.
The show winners have since returned to the BGT stage that made them famous – minus one original band member.
Their success story began as a five piece in 2014 when they received a standing ovation from the judges after their rousing performance of the song Stars from Les Misérables.
A rarely amazed Simon Cowell declared “Britain has really got talent” and the group got a unanimous four yeses, sending them through to the semi-finals.
They then won over 62.3% of the public vote for their performance of Bring Him Home, and took home the 2014 BGT crown on June 7 after garnering 26.5% of the public vote.
The group first formed in January 2014, just one month before their Britain’s Got Talent audition.
Singers Jamie Lambert and Matthew Pagan – who already knew each other – took to social media to find other singers.
This lead to them finding Michael Auger and Thomas J.Redgrave.
Collabro was then completed with Richard Hadfield who they stumbled across in a YouTube clip of him singing Bring Him Home.
However, Richard would famously leave the band after two albums, a record deal, and an extensive world tour.
After winning the competition, the boys signed to Simon Cowell’s record label Syco in June 2014.
They released their debut album named Stars the following month and announced that they had signed with Sony Masterworks in the US for a whopping £1million deal.
Their second album – called Act Two – also debuted at number two.
Meanwhile they toured around the world, performing in Japan as well as the US and Canada.
But in 2016 cracks began to show after claims of a feud.
Read more TV stories
Richard Hadfield opened up to The Celeb Report about the devastating Collabro feud after going solo.
He confirmed the fall-out saying it was a “shame” to end his career with the group on such a low note, but insisted he was much happier on his own.
Richard, who had started off his career on Youtube, had angered his bandmates by carrying on sharing covers on the platform.
When asked about the rift over his YouTube channel, Richard told The Celeb Report: “It’s true. It’s now my chance to put that environment behind me.
“I can’t wait to surround myself with positivity and the people I love working with.”
Richard was contracted to perform one more gig with the band before walking away for good, and he admitted relations remained frosty, but professional.
The singer explained: “We nodded, we smiled, we sung. I wish them the best. It’s a shame it had to end this way but life’s got a funny way of pointing you in the right direction.”
Richard underwent a dramatic makeover by shedding two-and-a-half stone following his band exi and he went on to release an official cover of The Killers’ Mr. Brightside through his Swingfield YouTube channel.
Collabro also continued to shine and joined Cliff Richard on his Just Fabulous Rock ‘n’ Roll Tour of the UK IN 2017.
They released and toured their third album Home in 2017.
That year disaster almost tore them apart again, when member Michael Auger was caught up in Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean where he was holidaying with a friend.
They barricaded themselves inside a hotel room bathroom as the megastorm smashed into the island of St Martin.
The terrified pair put a mattress against the toilet door before a roof tile crashed through their balcony’s sliding glass door.
After the Category Five “nuclear” hurricane passed – after killing at least eight on the island – armed looters robbed scared guests at the hotel.
Martin later admitted he was “lucky to escape unharmed” and Collabro went on to release a charity single titled Lighthouse, with proceeds going to children affected by war and disasters around the world.
Between February – April 2019, the boys went on a 51-date tour called Road to the Royal Albert Hall and in August returned to screens in Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions, reaching the semi-final.
What happened to Collabro member Jamie Lambert when he got mugged?
On January 22, 2018 The Celeb Report exclusively revealed that Jamie Lambert had been assaulted in a brutal street mugging.
The singer suffered a broken nose and two black eyes as he was attacked with brass knuckles by a gang in central London.
Jamie told the Sun’s Bizarre column: “I’m just recovering from the shock. It’s obviously not very nice.
“I’ve got a broken nose nose which is healing and I’m shaken but it could have been a lot worse.”
Read More on The Celeb Report
At the time Jamie said he was approached by a group of men in broad daylight whilst he was out shopping with a friend.
He said: “They asked me to hand over their belongings and I said, because we were in a busy street, ‘Are you mad?’
“And they tried to pull me into an alley and I pulled away and they broke my nose with something like brass knuckles under a glove.
“It was some kind of weapon. I’m not allowed to say too much about it. The police are looking for them.
“They left empty handed. I think I got off quite well actually.”
Did you miss our previous article...
https://thecelebreport.com/television/antiques-roadshow-viewers-traumatised-by-terrifying-toy-rabbit-but-the-owner-has-the-last-laugh
