BGT mum who gave up audition to daughter went to prison over £6,000 cannabis stash

A mum who shocked viewers of Britain’s Got Talent last night by offering up her own audition space to her 15-year-old daughter has revealed that she spent time in jail after cannabis was found at her home.

Claire Connolly told her story to the judges on ITV last night before getting her daughter Tia to perform a version of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Didn’t Know My Own Strength’.

The proud mum spoke about her troubled past, which saw her land in prison after a £6,000 cannabis stash was discovered in Celebrations tins in her house.

ITV

Now, the 33-year-old mum has pleaded with the public to judge her daughter based upon her own talents rather than the stories told by her mother.

She told MirrorOnline: “I did go to prison and that’s something I have to live with – the stigma follows me around.

“Of course I’m sorry. At the time I was angry… angry at life.

“But I’m doing everything I can to make sure Tia doesn’t make the same mistakes I did.

“I’ve tried to give my children the best chance – and I’m so proud that Tia is grabbing that chance with both hands.”

Claire – who is from Accrington in Lancashire – was arrested in 2012, before being sentenced to 12 month in prison for allowing her home to be used for the supply of drugs, as well as another charge of affray for her role in a drunken scrap that took place when she was on bail.

Claire says that her life has been transformed by becoming mum to Tia and nine-year-old Ayannah.

ITV

“Going to prison made me realise I needed to get away from my old life,” she said.

"Now my children are my life – and I want Tia to get the chance to shine.”

Well, the judges seemed to be pretty impressed with her performance, even if some fans thought that the whole thing was too ‘staged’.

Claire appeared on the show and told the judges that she wanted to give up her spot to Tia, as she wouldn’t have done it herself otherwise.

Judge Amanda Holden said that she ‘absolutely smashed it’ and that Tia has a ‘massive career’ ahead of her.

Bruno Tonioli said that her performance had ‘incredible quality’ because she was ‘singing from [her] soul’.

Head honcho Simon Cowell said: "I really love moments like this, you didn't know you were going to audition, your mum set you up, I'll just sing Whitney Houston then, like it's normal.

"That's very sweet what you did for your daughter because I'm guessing without you doing that she wouldn't have auditioned.

“I absolutely loved this audition."

ITV

However, one fan wrote: "It’s nice but it’s so overly staged it’s obviously”

Another said: “Britain's got talent is just painfully overproduced and staged these days."

Staged or not, the show airs on ITV1 and is available on ITV X as well.