Britain’s Got Talent: Harare-born Linda moves fans to tears; explains emotional reason she wants to win the show

By UK Media

LONDON: Singer Linda Mudzenda stopped the Britain’s Got Talent judges in their tracks with an emotional ­performance that earned her the show’s seventh golden buzzer.

Zimbabwe-born Linda blew everyone away as she belted out You Say by Lauren Daigle. Judge Alesha Dixon – who frequently hit the Top 10 in the noughties with girl group Mis-Teeq – was so moved she sent Linda straight into the finals.

The 21-year-old children’s support worker dedicated the performance to mum Susan, saying she wants to win so she can give her a better life. She said: “The reason I’m here, working so hard, is because of my mum.

“She sacrificed a lot for me to live my passion of music. So she’s the first person I’d thank with the prize money. A lot would go to making sure she can relax for the rest of her life.”

Linda grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe, with five siblings – and says life was tough as her mum raised them single-handed. She said: “It was hard, but my mum managed to take care of us and do everything. I can’t say it was good, but we got through it.”

She moved to Britain two years ago and now lives in Bedford. And she says when she auditioned in Blackpool earlier this year for the ITV show, she was going through one of the hardest times of her life. She said: “The two months before the audition, I didn’t have a place to stay. I was having problems at my work, and I almost had an operation.

“So being on the stage, it was a relief for me. It was a joy I didn’t have for the past two months. I almost got depressed, but managed to conquer it. That’s why it was emotional for me.”

Since then, she says, things are on the up. “Now everything’s OK at work, I managed to find a place to stay and my health is a bit better.

“I was diagnosed with the pre-diabetic condition. I’m on a diet. I have a cyst on my left side – I’m still yet to see if they can do an operation. So I’m in a good space. BGT came at the right time.”

And she says judge Alesha had some touching words of advice for her. Linda revealed: “Alesha did come on the stage after hitting the buzzer. She did tell me that I deserved it. I deserved to be part of the show, and it was all worth it for me to be there.”

Linda admits that she has had her sights set on appearing on the ITV talent show since childhood. She said: “I watched BGT on YouTube all the time growing up. When people used to ask me what I dream of doing when I grow up, I used to say to be part of Britain’s Got Talent. Despite being all the way in Zimbabwe, I always believed I’d move to the UK and make it happen.”

Linda’s first memory of singing was alongside her sisters in church at the age of 10. At 16 she started collaborating professionally with Gospel artists around the world. She also writes her own music and will release her first single this autumn.

She said: “Winning BGT and getting recognised internationally would be a huge dream come true. “It would allow me to grow my audience, release more songs and potentially tour with my own sound,” she said.