Inside Britain's Got Talent winner Lee Ridley's life after ITV show win
Lee Ridley, known as Lost Voice Guy, won the entertainment show with his comedy routine.
Britain's Got Talent is making its comeback with Simon Cowell and the panel preparing to transform another contestant's life.
Launched in 2007, the ITV entertainment programme has produced 18 winners, each receiving £250,000 and the opportunity to perform at The Royal Variety Performance.
Certain Britain's Got Talent champions have achieved major stardom, such as vocalist Paul Potts and dance group Diversity.
Meanwhile, others resumed their previous careers after victory, including Richard Jones, who balanced his role as a soldier in the Household Cavalry with his newfound celebrity status as a magician.
As the series makes its return on Saturday (February 21), we have a look at what 2018 champion Lee Ridley has been doing since.
Read more: BGT's Amanda Holden shares what she really thinks of co-star ahead of return
Read more: Britain's Got Talent's Simon Cowell hints at BBC star's return to ITV show
Britain's Got Talent win and TV success
Comic Lee - who lives with cerebral palsy and delivers his stand-up performances using pre-recorded phrases on a computer - took to the stage for the programme in 2018 performing under his stage name Lost Voice Guy.
He captivated audiences with his material, which featured him making light of his condition, leaving the judging panel in fits of laughter. Having progressed smoothly through each stage, his victory that year came as little shock to anyone.
"I have been blown away by the support of the judges and the general public," he said as he was crowned the winner.
In the aftermath of his triumph, Lee featured in an instalment of the BBC Three television series, Jerk.
He also travelled across the Atlantic to take part in an all-star edition of America's Got Talent, called The Champions, though he was eliminated during the preliminary rounds.
Comedy career
Lee has continued to establish himself on the comedy circuit, performing shows throughout the UK.
He has appeared at renowned comedy venues such as the Edinburgh Fringe and has shared the stage with prominent figures in the industry, including Jason Manford and Ross Noble.
Lee revealed earlier this year that he was developing a new show titled Talk in Progress, telling his Instagram followers: "Talk in Progress is a Work In Progress show in the truest sense.
"If it goes well, you were there first. If it goes wrong, I'm blaming autocorrect."
Radio show and book launch
The same year he triumphed on Britain's Got Talent, Lee also wrote and starred in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Ability.
He developed the programme - centred on a disabled man leaving his parents' home - before his breakthrough on the talent show, but it aired during the same year.
In 2019, Lee published his debut book I'm Only In It for the Parking: Life and Laughter from the Priority Seats.
Described by the publisher as "the wickedly funny story of the stand-up who struggles to stand up, but who learns to finds his feet", the book chronicles Lee's life and career.
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Britain's Got Talent returns at 7pm on ITV on February 21.
