Teacher shows Britain that Egham's got talent

Millions of viewers across the nation were wowed by a stunning performance from a Surrey school teacher on Saturday night.

Taryn Charles delivered a stunning rendition of ‘A natural woman’ on the latest episode of Britain’s Got Talent.

Her audition earnt her the coveted ‘Golden Buzzer’, meaning a place in the live show semi-finals.

Taryn says the moment the buzzer was pressed and she was showered in golden confetti was a truly surreal moment:

“It was a very strange, it was almost like that this is not happening, maybe I'm just imagining what I want to happen!”

“There was a lot of tears. I cried an awful lot.”

She also received a standing ovation from the audience and all four judges.

Amongst those judges was Bruno Tonioli, who actually pressed the Golden Buzzer, spurred on by the enraptured audience.

He was enthralled by Taryn’s delivery of ‘A natural woman’, which was originally written by Carole King, who Toniolo knew well.

In her day job, Taryn teaches children with special educational needs.

As someone with ADHD herself, Taryn’s own school days were challenging.

She now uses music and her creative delivery of the curriculum to engage and support her students.

“Music's always been my go to when I'm feeling low, when I feel sad, it's always played a massive part in my life since I was a little girl”.

“I’m working with kids who are not as advantaged as others, or they have special requirements or superpowers as I call them.”

“I just felt that music helped me so much, let me see if I can impart this on other people.”

“You can have a student who's refused to go into a classroom in five years, but then saying to that student, if you come in the class today, I'll let you play whatever you want on the radio.”

“Just that's tiny thing, the kid’s back in the class.”

“I've always used music for things like that.”

Despite singing throughout much of her life, Taryn was riddled with self-doubt and had reservations about auditioning for the show.

“Throughout the process there were several times where I said I'm not doing it, I don't want to do this, it's not for me.”

“But eventually it was one of my students that said you've got to do it, I'll come with you!”

Having been inspired by one of her students to take part, Taryn is now hoping her performances on Britan’s got talent can now be a source of inspiration for them and other children and young people like them.

“To be able to go and show the kids that I work with that, as somebody with a special need, I can do that, then so can you.”

”The amount of kids that I've spoken to that have said ‘I'm going to apply when I'm old enough’, that melts my heart.

“Just be able to win it for all those kids that don't think they can, that that would be the goal, I think.”

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