The 15-year-old wowed judges on the ITV talent show and got a standing ovation with her show-stopping rendition of Jennifer Hudson’s Dreamgirls hit And I Am Telling You.
But it has now been reported the singing sensation was scouted and asked to appear on Britain’s Got Talent prior to the audition phase after being spotted at an event.
“A BGT scout spotted Sarah towards the end of last year, when she was performing at a local event. She was asked to audition on the show.
“She auditioned shortly after, and of course completely blew the producers away. There was no special treatment and she had to audition like every other act from then on,” a source told The Sun.
But the source was quick to add that producers act separately from Simon, 57, who didn’t know about the youngster.
They added: “Simon Cowell had no idea who Sarah was when she first stepped on stage, the scouts worked completely separately, and he was unaware of her and her history.”
A Britain’s Got Talent spokesperson told the publication: “As the only show of its kind in the country, we want to showcase the best talent around and therefore, we travel the length and breadth of the country to find the best talent and make them aware of the show and auditions.
“We do then encourage acts to apply but any such acts will be required to audition on the same basis as any other applicant and normal programme rules apply. All acts are judged on their performance during their audition.”
The claims come after it was reported that Sarah is no stranger to the limelight and often competes in talent shows across the UK including national singing competition Teen Star in 2015.
Britain’s Got Talent continues this Saturday at 8pm on ITV.
Express.co.uk has contacted ITV and Britain’s Got Talent for comment.
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