Dante Marvin’s shocking audition on Britain’s Got Talent 2022 lives on like a legend of TV talent show history. This Liverpudlian 13-year-old suffers from brittle bone disease and scoliosis. With around 100 bone fractures in Dante’s medical records, the young comedy singer is dependent on a wheelchair. But his performance was a beacon of positive energy, pride, and ability; a direct aim at the taboos surrounding disability, spiced up with hilarious comments directed at Simon Cowell.
Dante appeared on the 15th season of Britain’s Got Talent with an original song styled like a cute and quirky musical number. But the BGT judges were left gobsmacked when Dante’s nursery rhyme intro transitioned into a pop-rap beat, topped with the line, “don’t feel sorry for me, ‘cause I feel sorry for you.”
His track was threaded together with the infinite abilities which spawned from his disability, from queue jumping at Disneyland to being invited inside Buckingham Palace. However, what really shocked the audience were his jabs at Simon Cowell, including, “When I got my new wheels, they looked so ace. I was happy like Simon when he got his new face.” Dante wasn’t a top-class singer, but his dark lyrics were comedic fire.
Simon Cowell let Dante get away with his subtle diss track, but the star judge David Walliams revealed another twist after Dante’s performance. The two had actually met before when Dante inspired David to write the children’s book “Slime,” centred around a boy in a wheelchair. David even dedicated the book to Dante!
Dante Marvin’s disabilities have made him a budding public figure. In 2019, he was named a Child of Courage at the Pride of Britain awards. He’s also a Young Ambassador for Variety, a children’s charity which helps fund specialist equipment for kids with mobility, independence, and social inclusion issues. His TV debut came three years before his BGT appearance, when he took part in the CBBC cookery show “Step Up to the Plate” from a hospital bed, bringing to life Dante’s motto that “there are no disabilities, only abilities.”
Dante clearly doesn’t let anything stop him, despite his saying of his condition, “you could wrap me in bubble wrap and it still wouldn’t protect me.” His audition sent an empowering message, proving that disability doesn’t have to put a stranglehold on your potential; you can still “go as far as your imagination wants to take you.” With over 1.3 million YouTube views on his audition and countless inspired comments, Dante’s message clearly strikes home for everyone.