‘Britain’s Got Talent’ finalist Julia Carlile has revealed her recent second spinal surgery was a success.
The teenager, who performed as part of the dance group MerseyGirls in this year’s series, recently underwent a procedure for her scoliosis in the US, which was paid for by ‘BGT’ boss Simon Cowell.
After revealing two weeks ago that she was recovering from the first of her operations, she’s now offered her fans a new update, announcing on Twitter that her second surgery was also a success.
Publicly thanking Simon, she added: “Now on the road to recovery. Thank you @SimonCowell @CowellOnline #strong #recovery #fighter”
Prior to their performance in the ‘BGT’ final, MerseyGirls revealed that it could well be the last time they all dance together, as the surgery 15-year-old Julia had been preparing to undergo could have left her unable to perform.
However, when it was revealed that another type of surgery - which costs around £78,000 - was available in the US, music mogul Simon stepped in and offered to foot the medical bills.
Speaking about Simon’s decision to pay for her vertebral body tethering procedure - an operation that involves surgeons fixing screws into the back - Julia told the Liverpool Echo back in June: “I’m beyond happy and it means we can carry on dancing together for the rest of our lives.
“He didn’t have to do it and he has changed my life. There are no words to thank him for how grateful we are. It’s just unbelievable.”
MerseyGirls - who changed their name from Just Us earlier in the competition - received the Golden Buzzer from ‘BGT’ judge Alesha Dixon early on in this year’s series.
They eventually made it through to the final, finishing in ninth place, with musician Tokio Myers being crowned the public’s winner.